


Mantrin Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons

by Specter06



Series: Mantrin Imperial Guard [2]
Category: Titan AE (2000)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Violence, Complete, Domestic Violence, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Expanded Universe, Gen, Mantrins, Racism, Science Fiction, Stith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26044630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Specter06/pseuds/Specter06
Summary: While providing aid during a relief effort for a colony of mixed species that's been hit by a disease outbreak, the crew is forced to put any differences aside and face their inner demons as racial tensions rise and threaten the survival of the colonists.
Series: Mantrin Imperial Guard [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831597
Comments: 2





	1. Project Tyche

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

_The galaxy isn't what you'd call a friendly place. Some situations require what I describe as special treatment. My crew and I have been selected to handle these cases in the name of the Emperor. For we serve the most powerful military organization in the quadrant: The Imperial Guard._

# Chapter 1 Project Tyche

“That should do it.”

Thylun felt a slight chill move up his spine as Moa removed the dermal probe from his exposed upper arm, having gathered her final sample. The device relayed the information to the computer as Salu studied the results of the real-time analysis with a series of humming sounds that marked his approval.

Seated on the edge of one of the sickbay beds, his upper half undressed, Thylun awaited the signal to put his shirt back on. His albinism had given him trouble since birth. Being born blind in one eye was solved with a cybernetic replacement. Regular treatments reduced the vulnerability of his pale skin to sunlight, which Sogowa Prime had in abundance. The social anxiety problems were the biggest hurdle, yet he did not let it stand in his way of being worthy to wear the red uniform.

“How do you feel?” Moa asked.

He caught himself staring into her eyes, until remembering how that made him feel in the many situations where it had been the other way around. Averting his gaze, he ran his hand over his belly, chest and arm in that order, wondering if the tingling sensation under his skin was real or mere imagination.

He had undergone the painless procedure numerous times. It consisted of a series of subdermal injections with a compound that improved the UV-resistance of his skin with a factor that brought it up to the same level as that of his crewmates. It took several days for the effects to diminish and was an absolute necessity for visiting other worlds during daytime. Those rare occasions where he had no other choice made him suck the air through his teeth when he recalled them.

“Not worse than all the times I’ve done this before.”

Moa smiled and after a nod she began putting away the equipment. The hiss of the sickbay doors and the powerful thumps announced a visitor. Weyan’s joyful tone and the fact that they were best friends turned what could’ve been an insult into what could even be taken for affection.

“Just look at you. Still all milky white, but at least you won’t turn red as a _Weejha_ berry when that sun hits ya.”

Rolling his eyes at his friend’s remark, he looked over his shoulder at Salu, who was still focused on the analysis results.

“Doc, am I done?”

Keeping his eyes locked on the monitor for as long as possible as he turned around, Salu nodded when he made eye contact.

“You can leave.”

“ _Hyami_.”

“ _Oishna_.”

Grabbing the top part of his uniform from the bed behind him he balanced on his muscular legs as he hopped off the bed. He had been robbed of his natural color, but at least he hadn’t been robbed of his strength, or so he thought. The reason he underwent the treatment in the first place was because everyone was called upon to help around with unloading the contents of the cargo bays when they arrived on their destination.

As he put on the collared shirt, putting his beak through the neck opening first, the sound of the quantum drive powering down caught the attention of both him and Weyan, their ears perking up in unison. His friend smiled.

“And not a moment too soon. I think we’re there.”

***

“Ship’s log, Raeth, House of Meztar. We have arrived in orbit of Hanaweya II, carrying a shipment of much needed medical supplies to the planet’s first colony. Initiated by the Earth Alliance and joined and supported by many other worlds, it is but one of numerous other settlements part of project Tyche. It aims to transform dead worlds into veritable paradises teeming with life and create more living space for many different species. Command received reports that a disease has broken out among the colonists and the _Myr’shala_ was called upon to get a first shipment of materials there as fast as possible. Thanks to an additional upgrade to our drive systems, we can answer their call for help in less than two of their days.”

“Landing coordinates received. We have a pad,” Houn said.

“I’m taking us down,” Le’tan added. “Atmospheric flight mode engaged.”

Having received clearance, Le’tan pushed the control yoke down, taking the ship from orbit into a gradual descent. Hanaweya II was a world shaped by technology, into the very image of what a paradise world should be in the eyes of most. From orbit it didn’t look much different from worlds like Sogowa and most parts of Solbrecht, but only because these worlds had shifted to sustainable development many solar cycles ago.

As the _Myr’shala_ broke through the thin cloud layer they observed the same as on many of these converted worlds. Endless green jungles. Large bodies of blue water forming the only noticeable contrast on the surface itself. A large cloud formation on the far right of their field of vision formed another, a thick haze below the threatening gray serving as evidence that weather was also part of the transformation.

As Le’tan slowed the ship down, Raeth spotted the signs of the colony in the distance through the panoramic bridge window. The large shimmering spires popping out of the jungle that formed most of the habitat of the colonists looked like the remains of an ancient civilization from their current position. It was, as he knew, quite the opposite.

“Did you know it took more than two-hundred solar cycles for this world to come to fruition?” Jetreycka said.

Houn looked over his shoulder.

“That’s still pretty fast. Without the humans’ advanced terraforming technology, best estimates were at least five times that much to transform a dead world into something like this. I heard the Earth Alliance is working on a project to create entirely new planets. As long as enough raw materials are brought together it can be done, I guess.”

“You seem to know a lot about this Houn,” Raeth complimented.

The young Goureg smiled.

“I looked it up when I heard where we were going. Hanaweya II is one of a few dozen colonized worlds under project Tyche with many more being readied.”

“What does the name ‘Tyche’ even mean?” Norgu asked.

“Wasn’t it some ancient goddess of theirs?” Jirro grunted.

Houn nodded.

“It had something to do with fortune and prosperity for a city, or in this case a settlement. I guess they thought it would bring good luck.”

The habitat towers were much bigger up close than any of them could have guessed from a distance. As Le’tan slowed the ship’s speed to a minimum for a safe approach and eventual landing, they had time to admire the view by using the ship’s bottom cameras. The colony consisted of fourteen towers in total, situated around a large clearing, in the middle of the endless jungle at irregular distances from each other. The cylindrical towers were identical in height and around three-hundred steps tall. A gradual decrease in width started at about half height, ending in a sharp cone crowned with antennae.

Various smaller structures such as storage buildings and hangars as well as landing strips surrounded the base of every tower. A large pumping station carried water from the broad river nearby to the colony buildings through a series of pipes that disappeared into the ground next to it. The clearing itself was used for recreational purposes by groups of people, with pavilions providing shelter from the sun and a few clusters of trees providing natural shade. Many different types of equipment filled a large playground, occupied by children of various ages and species as far as they could see. A spacious swimming pool with multiple sections and surrounded by occupied sunbeds offered a place to cool off, with many people using it for a refreshing dive or a good swim. Despite all these comforts, this was still the first settlement on a far out world and working to sustain the colony was part of it too.

“Deploying landing gear,” Le’tan said, guiding the ship the last few steps to the platform.

A trio of large lizard-like creatures that had been using the tarmac for sunbathing scattered to find a safe spot when the ship’s powerful thrusters threw the first gusts of their exhaust flow in their direction. Raeth felt the vibrations in his seat as the _Myr’shala_ fought against gravity. Before them the outer wall of one of the towers rose up into the sky, hiding everything else from view.

“Jetreycka?” Raeth asked, the subtle bump that rippled through the ship being his cue to rise up from his chair.

“You’re on.”

“Raeth to all crew. We’ve touched down on Hanaweya II. You have your instructions. Leave your sidearm. These are civilians and the situation is tense enough as it is. I’m gonna have a word with one of the directors first. You can start with unloading what they have requested. If anyone asks for help, feel free to assist. If you have any questions you come directly to me. Raeth out.”

He looked at Jirro who also stood next to his seat. The neutral expression on his otherwise harsh face did not give Raeth any clues about his _Kaedar’s_ thoughts on the matter. Jirro hadn’t spoken much about their mission on the way, but then he wasn’t much of a talker anyway, or so Raeth thought. Despite that, he did not hesitate when he signaled him to follow.

***

“Kinda looks like a holiday resort, don’t you think?”

Taking a few heavy steps down the loading ramp of the cargo bay facing the colony’s recreational area, Trezka gazed out over a huge open space covered by a type of short grass, watching quite a few people eye them from a distance. The sun warmed her skin, a pleasant and familiar feeling that became a longing even after only a few days in space. The same for the fresh air in her nose and lungs, energizing her, filling her with strength.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Nami said as she joined her side, crossing her arms. “Most of this stuff is built by robots long before the first colonists even set foot on the planet. Setting up the facilities is one thing, but creating a sustainable society is another.”

“Hey there. Welcome to Hanaweya II.”

The voice belonged to a young human male with short blond hair and white skin. He was accompanied by a dark-skinned female member of his species, wearing her hair in thin rope-like strands down to her shoulders. Furthermore, an Indarian. Tall vulpine creatures with a thick bushy tail, large elongated ears in a shape as sharp as switchblades, a pointy snout and covered in short fur with a white- and orange color pattern. Judging by his or her build, he or she was worker caste material. Last there were two Akrennians and one male Sogowan Mantrin. They were all dressed in the same simple work gear. Cerulean blue cargo pants and a T-shirt with a Tyche project patch on the left sleeve and a name tag on the chest.

At the same time, Azdar and his team of gunners arrived in the cargo bay, joined ticks thereafter by Raeth and Jirro. The bay was filled with stacks of large metal containers. Most of these contained the requested medical supplies as well as extra spare parts for various pieces of machinery. Food they had in abundance according to the colony’s requisitions officer so the only things they needed were the parts to maintain production. All of this down to the last bolt was put together in the manifest which Raeth handed over on a holo-pad to the human male who took the lead in the operation.

“Thank you,” he said, as he scanned the report, swiping through the list with his finger. “Name’s Anthony.”

“Shall we get started?” Trezka asked, flexing her muscles.

“It looks amazing out here,” Weyan said, following her early example of stepping down the ramp and enjoying the view, gazing into the distance. “Hope we can stay just a little longer. We should go on a hunting trip. I bet these jungles are fun.”

“No hunting trips,” Raeth warned. “This is an alien world. I don’t wanna mount any rescue missions.”

“Wise choice,” the human woman said, putting one hand on her hip, and running the fingers of the other through her thick strands of hair. “Camping out at night is not advised either. We got a variety of predators out there who like to hunt when the sun’s down. They’ve been digging under the perimeter fences. Shot one myself two days ago.”

Weyan grunted.

“Spoilsport. Fine, I’ll start unpacking.”

***

As he went to secure an antigrav loader to haul the containers, the rest of the gunners followed his example together with Trezka, Nami and Norgu. After a few quick introductions and exchange of names they were joined by the colonists. Raeth was only a few steps away from feeling soft soil instead of metal under his feet when he realized he had no direction yet.

“Where can I find the director?”

The human named Anthony did a step back and looked over his shoulder as he was about to join his crew.

“Eden tower, across the field. Administrative offices. You can’t miss it. At least one director is present during work hours at all times.”

He pointed at a different tower which Raeth estimated was about 500 steps from their location. Thanking him for the pointer he jumped the last part down, landing hard on the grass-covered soil, enjoying the feeling of the short thick blades between his toes and the softness of the ground compared to the _Myr’shala_ ’s metal deck plating. Jirro joined his side, descending at a calm pace, the expression on his face still neutral and rather indifferent.

“Look at this, Jirro,” he said, walking in the direction indicated by Anthony. “Would you be able to take your family, leave everything behind and move to a world like this? Make a fresh start?”

Even though he knew his _Kaedar_ wasn’t much of a small talker and he already sort of expected the kind of answer he would get, Jirro still surprised him by not avoiding the question entirely.

“I am content with what I have. I would not have it any other way.”

Jirro caught up with him and using their natural large step size, they covered the distance in little time. It also gave him a moment to study the towers, rising up like giant metal and Duraglass candlesticks. Although the height of every one of them was the same, their layout was not.

“See that transparent section up there?” Raeth said, pointing at a large number of floors that looked like they were made of glass in a tower farther away to the right. “Vertical farming. Ensures a steady high-yield supply of food regardless of weather.”

Several more of the towers appeared to have floors dedicated for this purpose. Residential blocks were marked by balconies, with some colonists enjoying the weather in privacy from their own apartment units. The design appeared rather bland with its metal and Duraglass construction but Raeth did know the reason for this. Not only because all major structures were built by robots according to a proven design planned long in advance. It would be detrimental to the colony’s social stability if certain colonists had access to more luxurious residences and services than others.

In the early stages of colonization, credit was not the issue as the work of building up a sustainable community paid for itself. Contribution to the greater whole was the incentive to allow for inevitable expansion and for civilization to thrive. Raeth remembered more visits to new worlds like this during his career. Those under project Tyche stuck to this concept and therefore often achieved their goals. While he explained some of this in little words to Jirro, his XO responded with the occasional nod or grunt. He seemed distracted and not without reason.

Their route took them close to the edge of the recreational area. He noticed Jirro’s eyes flashed in the direction of the onlookers a couple of times as he muttered under his breath. He had to admit to himself it was annoying. Most of the people looking were humans, even though Mantrins were present among the colonists themselves. In order to take a look, one man had to strain himself to such a degree from his position on his sunbed that he almost lost his balance, slamming his hand flat on the poolside floor to prevent falling off. _It’s gotta be the uniform._

“What’re those places called again where humans keep animals in cages for their viewing pleasure?” Jirro grunted, increasing his pace.

The Eden tower’s entrance was a pair of double sliding doors and the entire bottom floor was a see-through construction of panels and other transparent elements. The panels of the outer wall also served as displays for various announcements and information about the tower’s layout and its facilities.

“A zoo,” Raeth answered, squinting a little to spot the text ‘administrative offices’ in both his own language and in English. Next to that, the tower featured apartments, restaurants, lounges and recreational facilities, including a large holo-gaming hall in which some tournament was being held, starting at the end of the day. “ _I used to be quite the shot back in those days,_ ” he thought, remembering the names and covers of some of the more popular titles on display.

The youth competition of Battlefield Solbrecht was the highlight of his short-lived career. His ears still hurt when he remembered the cheering crowd, the blasting music and the sweat dripping off the tip of his muzzle as he fought for dominance in the virtual arena with a team of three friends. It was worth it. Every high school student dreamed of securing a spot, let alone making it to the top three, but few made it past the preliminaries. “Third place wasn’t a bad score,” he thought as he entered the lobby in front of Jirro.

The building was like a hollowed out tree trunk but made out of metal and Duraglass. Not featuring any agricultural facilities that took up an entire floor, he could see all the way to the top when he craned his neck. A female AI voice welcomed them in. A projected display blinked with the text ‘request information here’ along the left wall, near a series of four transparent sheets rising out of the floor that served as terminals. To the right was a small café area where a human waitress and a waiter from a species he didn’t recognize attended to the few people present. Raeth was not surprised to see them trying to get a glimpse of him and his companion. The center of the lobby was like a miniature indoor garden. A fountain with a number of white sculptures resembling past explorers from various worlds formed the highlight. It was surrounded by plants exhibiting colorful blossoms and small trees most of which he didn’t recognize.

Raeth gestured in the direction of one of several sets of elevators. One cab was at ground level and large enough to fit them both, with some clever positioning of their legs. The floor was solid metal, the cabin walls the same Duraglass as all transparent surfaces. A projection inside the material showed information about their current position, the various levels of the tower and their facilities.

“Where would you like to go?” the female computerized voice asked. “I have recognized you as visitors. You can call me Cassandra whenever you’d like to request information.”

“Administrative offices,” Raeth answered, watching the sliding doors close by themselves.

“Administrative offices confirmed.”

The sound the elevator made when accelerating upward was a soft whine even his sensitive ears had trouble to pick up, the feeling in his stomach only a slight tingling sensation. As he watched the details of the tiled floor through the doors fade and disappear, he took a breath and looked at Jirro. The large Goureg-Ryrjhii crossbreed stared straight ahead at the railings of the walkways that formed a full circle on every level. His breathing was calm just like his own. His ears made tiny reflexive movements at every sound made by the elevator.

“I still wonder what we’re dealing with here,” Raeth said. “They asked for medical supplies because they reported an outbreak, but so far I haven’t seen any signs.”

“Maybe they’re hiding them. Put them in quarantine.”

“Could be. Despite how it looks, most of these frontier worlds struggle with the difficulties of independence. A panic situation would be devastating to a community like this.”

“Administrative offices.” With those words and a chime, the elevator came to a halt. The cabin’s second set of doors opened to the walkway and workspaces behind. “If you are looking for a specific space or person, just ask.”

“I’m looking for the director.”

“Follow the lighted path to your destination. One of the directors is currently present.”

Various people of different species sat behind desks, operating computer terminals and holo-projection tables. They marched past several rooms, following the subtle pulsating blue line over the walkway, avoiding the occasional cleaning bot scurrying across floors, walls and even the bottom of the walkway above them like large gravity defying air hockey pucks.

Some individuals eyed them through the inner windows, returning their focus to their activities after a glance. Raeth had spotted various members of his own species among the colonists so his assumption that it had to be the uniform became stronger, yet he could not think of a reason why. The Empire gave the project its active support and the Imperial Guard had been on the forefront on many occasions.

“We’re here.”

Having passed various workspaces, labeled by lit panels near their entrances with texts such as mining, agriculture, public health, education and recreation they arrived at one that did not look any different from the rest aside from being larger. No extravagance. No special treatment. The label above the door controls just read ‘management’. When he waved his clawed hand above the panel, he heard a soft chime inside, the opaque doors opening shortly thereafter.

The one person present stood with his or her back toward him behind a desk as Raeth entered. The desk was nothing but a sheet of Duraglass with a computer terminal on it, suspended from the ceiling by flat bars at the shorter ends. He noticed the coolness in his nose and lungs with the first breath he took while inside the room which did not surprise him. The creature that looked over its shoulder with one ice blue eye was covered by short fur in the same pattern as the other member of his kind they ran into. His natural coat was a combination of orange and lustrous black.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he said with a deep warm voice and a touch of gratitude.

Turning around on the spot with a swish of his long bushy tail, he flicked a bladelike ear and unfolded his muscular arms. Despite his position as director, the Indarian shared the blue Tyche project T-shirt which was a tight fit over his impressive chest. What looked like a pair of sweatpants in the same color covered his bottom half down to the ankles of his large paw-like feet. Overall, he carried less bulk than the other Indarian, but all muscle groups were well-defined.

“ _Warrior caste_ ,” Raeth thought.

If the thin golden crown on his head and the engraved bracelets arounds his wrists didn’t give it away it was the way he carried himself. Flexing the clawed fingers of his pawlike hands, the bony extensions shaped like blades embedded in the back of his forearms extended and retracted like wings in a reflexive movement. Indarians were born with or without them and the first case gave the individual more options, as was determined by the caste system of the Indarian Dynasty.

“It was no problem. Name’s Raeth, House of Meztar.”

“Jirro, House of Kezani.”

“An’dryn, third son of Rynearr.”

“Supplies are being unloaded as we speak. Is there anything else you need?”

An’dryn took a breath, inhaling and exhaling through his moist leathery nose. With a few taps of his claw-fingered paw on the virtual keyboard projected in the desk’s surface he brought up a series of statistics that popped up in mid-air. As Raeth stepped aside so he and Jirro could read with him, An’dryn swiped the holographic projection to a more favorable angle with a hand gesture.

“Let’s see. Fifty-nine people currently hospitalized, eight deaths, twenty-three in quarantine and under observation. These numbers have been going up for the past seven days. Just a few more and we’ve reached a threshold from which we have to initiate quarantine procedures. Furthermore, we have a rising number of complaints about racism and acts of violence.”

“Is the racism caused by the disease outbreak?” Jirro asked, crossing his arms.

An’dryn sighed. His black lips pulled back into a sharp-toothed grimace.

“It all started with a mere cough. A member of your kind actually, but it began shortly after the arrival of a certain shipment from Earth. At least that’s how far we’ve managed to trace it back. It’s a virus, spread via saliva or through the air by coughing, sneezing of even breathing. So far we haven’t found a cure yet.”

“So, everyone blames us,” Raeth said, scratching his belly under his shirt. “Figures.”

An’dryn shook his head, bushy tail swishing.

“The humans blame the Mantrins. The Akrennians blame the humans because it was their shipment and now everyone is blaming everyone. It doesn’t matter how it started; they all blame a race other than their own.”

Raeth heaved a derisive sigh, hit by a déjà vu the size of an asteroid. Whenever there was a problem in a mixed community, people always tried to shift the blame to another race. Because mixed communities had become a very common phenomenon with Solbrecht as a prime example this happened all too often. He tapped his wristcom.

“Raeth to Salu. You there?”

“Yes, Raeth. I’m preparing to go to the hospital ward in the Avalon tower with Moa. They’ve asked for our assistance.”

“Just what I wanted to ask. Are you comfortable with that?”

“I’ve been assured they have taken the necessary precautions. As a child of Solbrecht, I have experience with treating patients of many different species. I feel I can make a difference.”

“You have my permission to do whatever you need to do. One more thing. How much protection do our boosters provide against this virus?”

Salu paused for a brief moment before answering.

“Your current dose will protect you from small amounts of alien organisms. I strongly advise avoiding direct contact with any victims. It will _not_ be sufficient against large concentrations of virus particles. You _will_ get sick. I will relay this message to all members of the crew.”

“ _Hyami_. Be careful Salu. Raeth out.” Raeth looked into An’dryn’s ice blue eyes, finding it hard to gauge his state of mind just by looking at his face. His silent response was a nod of appreciation. “We’ll stay and continue to support you. Our current orders are to offer assistance in any way possible until more help arrives.”

“You have our thanks. Your crew can make use of any of our facilities during your stay.”

“Thank you. Let’s go, Jirro, or they might think their _Ginjha_ ’s lazy. That’s not a rumor I’d like to spread.”

***

“Feels a little more springy than usual, doesn’t it?” Weyan said on their walk back to the ship, after rolling their third batch of cargo into one of the colony’s warehouses.

Emphasizing it with another jump, his considerable weight thrusted upward by his powerful legs, he landed back on the grass-covered soil with a loud thump. Thylun shrugged.

“It’s not that much of a difference.”

From the corner of his eye he spotted one of the antigrav loaders as Hoth, a Mantrin colonist, caught up with them, moving the empty hovering machine ahead of him with playful pushes.

“D’you guys wanna go for a drink when we’re done?” he asked.

“Sure, why not?” Weyan answered.

With the extra help from the colonists they drained the cargo bays in little time, and after the first six, even more people showed up to share the load. With that many hands they expected to have everything transferred in less than half the estimated time. That everyone seemed very eager to help stood out in a positive way.

Thylun watched a large aerial vehicle with a pair of cargo containers underneath soaring overhead, the thunder of its thrust-vectoring engines increasing as it slowed down and began a landing maneuver near another one of the towers. With the questions that popped up in his mind he decided to ask.

“Tell me Hoth,” he said, “how is all the work divided? Do you guys run shifts? Do you always do the same type of work?”

The Sogowan Mantrin shook his head.

“Uh, uh. The mundane tasks that nobody wants to do, like cleaning, maintenance, garbage disposal and everything that poses a health risk are all automated. We _do_ keep the jobs that require social interaction. Think about it. Would you rather have a robot serving you drinks or a real person with which you can have a genuine conversation?”

“Point taken.”

“Regarding shifts, well, we have many people qualified to do many different types of work. So, we take shifts, we trade shifts, we even use shifts as a kind of currency when asking for favors. There’s no money around here. Everyone contributes and we give back to the Tyche project by mining the planet’s resources.”

“So, most people work in the mines?” Weyan asked.

Hoth shook his head once more.

“Mining is automated too. Refining happens on the spot. Most of the work is maintenance, keeping an eye on things, replacing parts of machinery.” He pointed in the direction where the cargo hauler had landed. “And people love flying those shuttles.”

As Thylun processed what Hoth just told them, he concluded that life on Hanaweya II was quite peaceful and an excellent opportunity to make a fresh start with pretty much nothing. People lived modern lives and instead of pursuing personal gain worked to sustain their community, with only a little bit of outside help. _That’s not a bad way to live._

***

It was about half a cycle later when he, Weyan and Hoth joined up at a café in the lobby of a tower named _Helios_. The bottom floors of the majority of the habitat towers featured cafés and restaurants and this particular one seemed popular with members of several different species. They even had seating spaces with floor pillows for Mantrins as well as a number of other different arrangements.

The café area formed a sharp but warm contrast with the rest of the metal and Duraglass lobby with tables, chairs, bar and partitions between different seating areas all made of wood. With almost everything built by robots, the attempt to create a little more atmosphere with organic materials, plants and the occasional tree was successful in the eyes of everyone looking for a bit more coziness.

As Hoth beelined for an empty corner with four pillows, Thylun spotted waiters, waitresses and guests of many different species. They caught quite a few eyes, not much more than a quick glance from most of them, except for a group of four humans. Three men and one woman shared drinks around a table close to the spot Hoth aimed for.

“Look, it’s _Spots_ and _Whitey_ ,” one of the men said a little loud on purpose.

He was muscular, for a human, and with a cleanshaven face, shoulder-length blond hair and a square jaw. His shirt tightly followed his trained upper body and the grin he displayed was soon copied by the other two men at the table as they muttered amongst themselves. Emptying his glass, containing the last bit of a clear golden liquid that left a thin layer of foam, he slammed it back on the table.

They stared a bit too long for his comfort and that last remark caught the attention of Weyan, who stopped dead in his tracks and snapped his head in the man’s direction. There were about two steps of distance between them and one of Weyan’s hands had turned into a fist while the claws of the other were half-unsheathed. The human man looked at him, continuing to smile mischievously as he turned on his barstool.

“Haven’t you done enough damage already? My sister’s in hospital you know.”

Weyan snorted. Thylun knew he had a very short temper when faced with injustice. If they hadn’t caught the attention of most of the other guests after the first sneer, they sure had it now. A slight shiver ran up his spine as he felt the many pairs of eyes directed at them.

“Weyan, just leave it.”

“No, Thy,” he retorted. “I wanna hear what he has to say.”


	2. Essence of Ethics

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

# Chapter 2 Essence of Ethics

It was as if the very air became dense with the building of tension, inducing a tight feeling in his chest when he drew breath. They had been friends since combat training several solar cycles ago and Thylun had been through this before on several occasions. The human man continued to snicker, unfazed by Weyan’s size and muscularity compared to his own or the looks of those around them. Looks of malcontent, but to his unpleasant surprise also looks of amusement. With most of the conversations having died down, leaving only the jazzy ambient music, the relative silence pressed heavy on his ears.

“We’re being accused here,” Weyan said, without breaking eye contact, ears flattened. “And I wanna know _why_.”

The man shook his head and laughed in a wicked way.

“Well, let me be so frank to explain it to you.”

Shifting his legs, he slid off his seat, standing tall before Weyan. As he took a solid stance, his steps sounded heavy on the wooden floorboards, his feet stuck in large black boots made of what appeared like a kind of leather. Although he was close to matching Weyan in height, Thylun doubted he would be able to match his friend in terms of strength.

“Brian, stop bothering the customers.”

The female voice sounded young and as Thylun turned his head in the direction where it came from, a human girl took firm steps as she walked around the bar and toward them. Her long tropical dress was in sharp contrast to the blue Tyche project work gear although she did wear the same name tag on her chest. Although she was of a different species, he thought her olive skin matched beautifully with her shoulder-length curly brown hair that bounced with each step. She was quite a bit smaller than the man named Brian but that did not stop her. In fact, she assumed a position that put her in a triangle of her, him and Weyan, her eyes piercing into Brian’s.

“We don’t tolerate that kind of behavior around here. I don’t like it any more than you do that Alicia’s in hospital but that’s no reason to take it out on someone else.”

Brian looked again at a scowling Weyan who appeared ready to rip his guts out, then back at her and shrugged. Turning his back on the Mantrin he snickered once more.

“Well, I was a-bout to leave anyway.”

With his companions emptying the glasses and scraping their chairs, the four left and the conversations picked up again as if nothing happened. Thylun let go of a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Weyan’s shoulders dropped and his tail stopped lashing as the girl turned his attention to him. She looked so small in comparison, but it was as if the sound of her voice that turned from stern to sweet soothed all negative emotions.

“So sorry about that. Please have a seat.”

She gestured toward the table where Hoth had been waiting to take place. He had seen his bared teeth and flattened ears during the confrontation. There was always a risk involved when butting into these kinds of things. The more people bothered to say something or take stance, the higher the chance it turned ugly. Subsequently, he was glad Hoth didn’t step in and the human girl intervened instead. As the three of them picked a floor pillow, she waited at their table and smiled.

“I’m Nicole. Welcome to the Helios Café.”

Thylun thanked her with a smile of his own, a mere upward curved corner of his beak and introduced himself. Hoth seemed to be a regular as she called him by name. He already had something in mind as he shoved the two menu cards toward him and Weyan, but the latter clenched his teeth as he traced the wood grain of the table with the claw of his index finger. Nicole frowned. Pulling the edges of her dress up she kneeled on the remaining floor pillow.

“Hey, I’m really sorry about what happened. Brian’s not such a bad guy once you get to know him. His sister’s a really good friend of mine and I was upset too when I heard she was hospitalized. He’s been on edge ever since, but he has no right to take it out on you.”

Weyan looked at her and stopped hollowing out the table with his claw. Kindness returned to his face. Thylun had to admit, Nicole was good at this. It would’ve taken him much longer to take away the crankiness that would’ve lasted until the night if he was unlucky.

“Maybe I overreacted a little. I should’ve let it slide.”

Nicole shook her head.

“No, you had the right to be angry. Hell, I would’ve been angry too. The whole situation brings out the worst in people. But let’s leave it at that. What can I get you guys?”

As Thylun picked up the menu card, which was a thin sheet of wood, he noticed the names and descriptions of food and drinks looked like they were engraved. Only when he ran his thumb over the text did he notice that it was covered by a display layer.

“You can change the language at the top,” Nicole said when she noticed he was fiddling with it.

After changing the language to _Saerinian_ with a pair of taps, the descriptions changed but most of the names remained the same. The text faded out and was scribbled back on with a fluid animation. It seemed they had items available that originated from several different worlds.

“Is there anything you guys recommend?” he asked both Nicole and Hoth at the same time.

Nicole laughed.

“Some is import but many things on the menu are already being produced locally. If you want something without alcohol, I can recommend the sparkling fruit cocktail. We can make different mixes on request. In case you’re off duty, our own Hanaweya ale is popular too.”

“I’ll have the ale,” Weyan decided, placing the wooden card back on the table.

“Plus one,” Hoth added.

“No alcohol for me,” Thylun said. “Surprise me with that cocktail.”

“All right. Two ale, one fruit cocktail surprise coming right up.”

With a flamboyant gesture she jumped back on her feet and returned to the bar with both speed and fluid grace as she maneuvered around tables and guests. Thylun figured he must have been staring and when Weyan’s voice shook him out of his train of thought, he realized he was.

“You like it when sweet young girls talk to you, no matter where they come from.”

Rolling his eyes as he tipped his head toward him, he tried to think of a way to make the amusement in Weyan’s brown eyes as well as the sharp-toothed grin disappear, yet he couldn’t on such short notice.

“Whatever. She was just being nice. Hoth, if you don’t work for money, what do we owe her?”

“Nothing, since you’re visitors,” he replied, leaning forward on his arms. “Everyone gets a limited number of allowed visits to restaurants and cafés over every work period. To keep things fair and even. We do accept donations though. All credit goes to acquiring resources from other benefactors not affiliated with the Tyche project.”

“Sounds fair.”

“By the way, now that we’re done unloading, what’re you guys gonna do next?”

Thylun looked at Weyan for a tick and then outside through the window behind Hoth. It had to be somewhere in the middle of Hanaweya’s afternoon, judging by the sun that provided more than enough natural light to make the overhanging decorative lamps with their spiraling designs redundant. The somewhat empty feeling in his stomach made him reach for the menu card again but the recreational area looked inviting and it had been a few days.

“I’m gonna grab a little bite first if you don’t mind.”

“Be my guest.”

“And after that, we can either ask around if anyone needs help or look up a nice spot in the shade.”

***

The hospital of the Avalon tower took up two entire floors and were a combination of regular wards, intensive care units, analysis rooms and research labs. Three reserved elevators traveled between these sections only, which were on the first and second floor, while the regular ones skipped these floors.

When the cabin doors opened on the lower level where their presence had been requested, Salu and Moa found themselves in a sterile-looking rectangular lobby surrounding the elevator shafts. Several sets of transparent sliding doors offered access to different departments, the lit displays next to them on the white-painted walls giving directions.

Two aliens wearing white uniforms, a human and an Akrennian by the looks of it stepped in the elevator farthest from theirs and disappeared in the above direction the moment Salu’s foot touched the vinyl composite flooring. The material felt cool under the soles of his three-toed feet and dampened the sound of his steps. Having worked in a hospital on Solbrecht for several solar cycles, both it and the scent of cleaning agents were familiar. A lonely maintenance bot made its tour around the elevator doors acting like there was still something left to scrub.

“Follow the lighted path to your destination. Doctor Ryt is waiting for you in the virology department.”

A blue pulse of light traveled along a line that became visible under the upper floor layer, heading toward the set of doors most right in the wall they faced. A line on its adjacent display blinked, showing the name of their destination in both English and _Saerinian_ with Cassandra having composed a profile based on bio scans and voice analysis. Salu noticed how this interacted with the information displays on their approach from the moment they entered the building and the AI voice began talking to them.

“I’ve never experienced something like this before,” Moa said as the door slid aside, revealing a corridor that followed the curvature of the building with more sets of the same type of doors along the windowed walls. “What about you?”

“Solbrecht is much more conservative in several ways than Sogowa Prime is,” Salu said, as they followed the indicator light through the well-lit white corridor which was broad enough for them to walk next to each other. The material of the floor also did an excellent job in dampening the sound of Moa split hoof-like feet which had the tendency to be noisier than his own despite his larger size. “The traditionalists, as I like to call them have always been abrasive, but even among the general population there is substantial resistance against the practice of inoculation, despite the benefits. So yes, I have fought at the forefront of two epidemics, one more severe than the other. The trick is to always appear to have things under control, even if it is quite the opposite.”

She frowned and flattened an ear when she looked at him.

“Isn’t that the same as lying?”

“You don’t have to lie about it. Just stay calm. This will be a great learning opportunity for you, Moa. Things will get stressful but don’t let it go to your head.”

The sound of voices became louder after passing several sets of doors. Through the windowed walls he had already seen a number of different aliens, operating sophisticated-looking pieces of equipment and checking readouts on enormous display walls. The hospital on Solbrecht where he started his career had far less research facilities and was more focused on the treatment of patients rather than developing new cures, vaccines and treatment methods. Because this was a newly colonized planet with a biosphere in which many new organisms developed at a rapid pace, on-site medical research was a vital part of the community.

The pulsating line led them to a group of aliens talking to one another in the corridor. A human man was showing his colleagues information on a holo-pad. His fellow researcher, a salamander-like Qu’utian, uttered a few words in response with an almost singing-like voice. Judging by the pitch she was female. The other doctor was a Vusstran woman, characterized by her gray skin with irregular splotches in different tones, three-fingered clawed hands and a short rounded beak-like snout. She was the first to notice them and Salu recognized her as the woman who contacted them and requested their help.

“You must be Salu and Moa. I’m Ryt. Thanks so much for coming.” Her voice was gentle and kind, despite having a bit of a rough edge. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said to her colleagues, who each went through a different door on both sides of the corridor. “Follow me please.”

Shuffling a little on her broad big-nailed feet as she walked, she gestured them to follow her to the set of doors next to the ones through which her Qu’utian colleague disappeared. The space behind it was more like a meeting room, following the curve of the building’s outer wall with a large oval table in the center surrounded by eight chairs along each half. The overhead lights were off, and the tinted outer windows were in their dimmed setting, removing the sharpness from the incident light of the sun, increasing the visibility of the holographic image above it.

The holoprojector overhead divided the table in two equal halves across the major axis with a thin sheet-like projection of statistics, graphs and diagrams in various bright colors. Most noticeable was the schematic of what Salu recognized as a virus particle. The polyhedral shape of its envelope had many facets, with a series of thin pin-like spikes protruding from several corners.

“This is what we’re up against,” Ryt said with a small sigh, a layer of concern covering her voice.

The light of the projection shimmered in her large round eyes as she moved closer to it. Stretching her hands forward as if to touch the structure of light, she moved her short arms apart. This caused the projection to change to an exploded-view of the virus particle and a detailed breakdown of its components.

“Something tells me, it’s more than what it looks like,” Salu said, watching the look on Ryt’s face change to dismay as she turned on the spot.

The Vusstran woman seemed to be on the edge of her emotions. Suppressing a yawn with the back of her hand, she wiped at her eyes afterwards and took a breath.

“We’ve been working round the clock to gain control over the situation. In short, the incubation period is at least several days long for most patients. Some take longer but they all develop symptoms that start with a cough and a fever that lasts for a short while. This is followed by a grace period which makes it look like a simple cold. After that… well, it attacks the lungs of most individuals and that’s where things rapidly deteriorate. Without a cure the body is left to fight the infection on its own.”

She shook her head, giving Salu a pretty unnerving picture of the outcome.

“You say it attacks the lungs of _most_ individuals,” Moa said. “So, it does not progress the same in all patients?”

The broad lips of Ryt’s beak-like snout curved into something that resembled a smile.

“I like your perceptiveness, dear. Yes, it seems to behave differently in some cases, but we haven’t found a connection yet. The infection rate is high, and the virus has demonstrated the capability of rapid mutation. That’s how it could spread so fast among members of different species and because of the long incubation period it did so undetected until the first patients arrived here.”

“Well then,” Salu said, having drawn his conclusions based on the information he received so far. He kneaded his thighs by squeezing them with his strong hands as if to prepare his muscles for a fight. “How can we help?”

“Ah, yes. Let me show you around first. You’ll be spending a lot of time around here I’m afraid. We could also use help with patient care. You’ve told me you worked in a hospital yourself.”

Salu nodded.

“Patient care, surgery and research. Solbrecht has seen its fair share of epidemics.”

“Very well then. What about you, Moa?”

The Fjetanha girl bit her lip.

“I’ve taken my classes and virology was one of my subjects, but not much field experience I’m afraid.”

Ryt smiled, nonetheless.

“Don’t worry. All help is welcome. Just means you’ll be learning a lot in short time.”

They followed Ryt as she took them on a tour through the facility. It was no surprise that every doctor and researcher was dedicated to combating the outbreak. Salu knew that despite continuous advances in medical technology, finding a cure for a newly discovered virus took time. Gathering samples, analyzing the structure of the virus, tracking mutations and behavior were the beginning steps. Devising a cure involved locating key components, running simulations on interaction with compounds and eventually, live testing. All with time working against them and the victims.

Victims that, like their caretakers, belonged to different species that were not always on good terms with each other. Despite that, it was common knowledge that crises brought people closer together and forced everyone to put their differences aside to come to a solution. With racism lurking in the corners of communities like these, a full blown racial protest was the last thing they needed.

“We’ve got every doctor, specialist and trainee committed to this,” Ryt said, as she stepped into the elevator. Pressing herself against the wall at first, she relaxed her round body when she noticed the two Mantrins took up less space than anticipated, ordering the elevator to take them up one level. “If you’d like to change into something else, we can synthesize an unlimited supply of white on demand.”

As the cabin began to move, Salu looked at his and Moa’s standard duty uniforms. The only thing that distinguished them from the rest of the crew were the different sets of rank insignias on their collars. Since they would be part of a different team for as long as they could be spared, he decided to take her up on that offer.

The upper level served as a floor-spanning ward, with patients divided in groups of twelve individuals maximum and distributed over separate rooms all along the outer wall. A ring-shaped walkway connected these rooms and the walkway itself was separated from the inner area by airlocks. Because of the windowed walls, they could get a good glimpse of the ward’s setup as Ryt showed them the different rooms of the inner circle.

“Nothing gets through here,” Ryt said as they passed the inner wall, knocking her knuckles on its large rectangular viewports with their rounded corners. “Airtight seals. Fully separate air-recycling systems. Airlock access only.”

Continuing the design language of the lower level, it gave Salu the feeling that they had entered a spacecraft and not a hospital. Then again, everything was crafted to spec with meticulous precision so it was not as if he could blame the colonists for being bland in their choices. The same types of cleaning and maintenance bots were also present on this level, scurrying around in search of things to scrub or repair.

Molecular assemblers for creating simple static items such as clothing or bedlinen had become ubiquitous around the galaxy. Ryt led them to a dressing room in which both he and Moa exchanged their red uniforms for a freshly synthesized white one designed to fit their species’ profile. The pants were near identical. The top was a collared tunic, closed by a single row of push buttons and it looked and felt like their own uniforms. It came complete with Tyche project medical markings and a name tag after a full body scan. The crisp white fabric almost seemed to glow in the overhead lights, causing them to blend in with their current environment.

“I could use a change too,” Ryt decided.

Taking off her doctor’s uniform, fit to her species’ natural chubbiness, she tossed it inside the chamber of one of the two assemblers present in the room to reverse the creation process. With a few quick taps on an interface panel of the machine, the molecules of the pieces of clothing were taken apart and converted to energy taking every piece of dirt, microorganisms and other foreign particles with it. Like Salu- and Moa’s uniforms, a fresh new pair of pants and top was put together in the chamber within ticks.

“Look at you. Already part of our team,” she said in a cheerful way, while also fabricating new underwear. While Salu and Moa used the benches to put on their new pair of pants, Ryt disappeared in what looked like a fitting room, to reappear about a millicycle later. After recycling her underwear, she waited for the two Mantrins to finish, then lead the way out. “We try to minimize contact with patients. I’ll show you to the monitoring room.”

Exiting the room, they continued following the curved path along the windowed circular bulkhead until they hit another T-junction with a pair of double opaque doors on the right. The diffuse light of what could only be large displays leaked through the Duraglass. With a quick wave of her hand above the door controls, Ryt granted them access.

The room was very spacious, with a number of individuals of different species monitoring huge multi-paneled transparent screen setups in a way similar to a security control room. The only difference was that they secured the lives of patients, using cameras and close monitoring of all vital signs. Catching a glance of the camera feeds as they walked further, keeping their distance from the focused personnel, Salu felt an uncomfortable knot form in his stomach at seeing the bedridden bodies of virus victims, many of them attached to ventilators, their beds surrounded by scanners similar to those in his own sickbay.

Fragments of memories flashed through his mind. Memories of the last epidemic on Solbrecht. Mantrins, humans and other patients gasping for air, drowning in their own fluids, coughing up blood. Taking a deep breath, tensing and relaxing his abdomen muscles to force out the knot he tried to calm himself with the thought that they seemed to have things under control for now.

“Reinforcements?” the human doctor sitting closest to their position asked Ryt.

Despite the darker circles around his somewhat puffy eyes he still managed to smile. The man had a small beard, short spiky black hair and his chubby cheeks enhanced the joyfulness he tried to portray.

“They’re Imperial Guard. They’ve offered to help us as long as they’re here.”

“Thanks so much in advance. I’m Gregory.”

“Salu.”

“I’m Moa, House of Astorra.”

“Very nice to meet you. Where will you be posted?”

“Mostly research,” Ryt answered for them. “Salu here has a lot of experience with treating patients of different species. We might be able to use his knowledge to our advantage. We also don’t have a lot of Mantrin doctors, but we do have quite a few Mantrin patients.”

“Great. The sooner we crush this, the better. I--” He stopped talking abruptly as something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. “The Huang family.” He tapped a button on his control panel. “Greg to security. Mrs. Huang is trying to force an airlock.”

“Copy that. We’re on it.”

“No wait, belay that.” As Greg turned on his seat, he looked at Ryt with a serious look on his face. Salu noticed how she copied his look and wringed her three-fingered hands. “Ryt, maybe you can have a word with her again. She seems to listen to you. I don’t want a scene just like last time.”

After some slight hesitation, Ryt nodded.

“All right. I’ll see what I can do.” Salu and Moa followed her back to the corridor. When the entrance doors opened, they could hear the banging sound of something heavy on metal echoing between the bulkhead walls. “Sorry, I gotta handle this first. Then we’ll go back down.”

Leaving them behind as she increased her pace and going left around the corner, Salu held back and peeked first, keeping his distance when he saw what it was about. A couple of steps away, a human man and woman, the woman armed with an engineering tool she didn’t know how to use, tried to break into the sealed space behind the airlock. They wore nothing more than simple facemasks to protect themselves against the risk of infection. She stopped banging the damaged access panel when she saw Ryt, who approached her with calming gestures of her hands.

“Mrs. Huang, please. You can’t go in there. You’ll get sick.”

“I wanna see my daughter. You’re not keeping her away from me!”

Her muffled voice sounded hysterical and as her husband tried to calm her down and flung a comforting arm around her shoulder, she dropped the tool and started crying.

“I understand. But going in there is dangerous. I don’t want _you_ to also get sick.”

“I don’t care. I wanna see her. It’s been days!”

Salu, with Moa on his side, had stepped closer because despite Ryt’s efforts she seemed at a loss at what to do. As a doctor he was trained to deal with such situations. Keeping his own emotions under control while dealing with those of his patients and their loved ones was all part of the job.

The moment she saw them, the woman left her husband’s side, but kept a respectful distance between them. Her tears had made wet spots on the white cloth of her mask that covered the bottom half of her round face. Due to her straight black shoulder-length hair that curled at the bottom and the slanted shape of her eyes, Salu knew that she belonged to a particular human race called Asian. His universal translator did well at capturing the pleading tone of her voice as she spoke to him.

“Please, help us. We just want to see our daughter.”

Salu wondered if it was the compassionate look on his face, the one he used in these kinds of situations. Was it the way he was dressed although he didn’t look that different from Ryt? Or maybe it was because she had never seen him before and tried to turn to him for help because she did not receive it from anyone else. Using his calmest tone of voice as he cobbled up the right words, he looked into her teary eyes.

“I understand how you feel. What is your name?”

She was quiet for a moment, not expecting his question.

“Lihua.”

“Hello Lihua. I’m Salu. This is Moa. We’re here to help. I know you want to see your daughter. But you should not endanger yourself by going in there.”

His way of speaking had the desired effect. Ryt was snared into a heated discussion with Mr. Huang. None of them except Moa noticed the two nursing staff members on the other side of the windowed wall, trying to get their attention. One of them was a tall human woman with light brown skin and dark brown curly hair, the other an Indarian with fur in a white- and gray color palette. They were both dressed in similar medical uniforms, their faces fully covered by a sleek airtight breather mask with face shield. It seemed they did not take any risks when it came to wearing adequate protection. The Indarian gestured toward the airlock and Moa walked with them, thereby grasping everyone’s attention. Activating the intercom, the human woman spoke with them from the other side.

“Mrs. Huang, please. This is a difficult time, but I am pleased to inform you that your daughter is in our care and doing very well. If you go to the visiting area, we can get her to see you. You’ll be talking to her behind glass but it’s the best we can do for now.”

Lihua nodded with some reluctance. After apologizing to Ryt, she and her husband walked in parallel with the two nurses in the direction away from the monitoring room. Ryt picked up the tool Mrs. Huang had dropped, turning it around in her clawed hands and eventually handing it over to the nearest maintenance bot that came to repair the damage to the airlock panel. She sighed and turned to the two Mantrins, a downhearted look on her face.

“I tried to explain it to her mate. Their daughter came in with pretty severe initial symptoms and she’s been under observation for the past couple of days. She’s now entered the grace period. After that… Well, it’s in the hands of the Gods. Let me show you the visiting area, then we’ll go back.”

During the short walk to the area where patients and their loved ones could talk to each other behind the safety of a Duraglass window, Salu pondered the seriousness of the situation. The disease seemed to spare no one. The camera feeds in the monitoring room showed adults and children from several different species in various stages of the disease. The thought that a cure might come too late for many of them plagued him but also encouraged him to continue the search started by Ryt and her team.

“That woman might lose her child,” Moa’s concerned voice shook him out of his train of thought.

The determination that showed on her face when he looked down at her latched on to his own voice when he replied.

“All the more reason for us to do what we can.”

***

“Hey Syrran, don’t you wanna sit with us?”

“Leave him. He’ll come when he wants to.”

Taking slow deep breaths as his thoughts drifted off to home, to his mate, wherever she was out there in the galaxy, Syrran enjoyed the touch and feel of the new planet’s nature with his eyes closed. Lying on his back in the shade of one of the small clusters of trees in the colony’s recreational area without his shirt on, he tried to ignore the soft chatter of his crewmates and sounds of people having fun around the pool area. The soft blades of fragrant grass forming a natural cushion for the resting hulk of his body. The slight breeze that tickled his slate-gray skin at random spots. The warmth of the sun as the rays peeked through the thin tree cover as that same breeze rustled its fresh green leaves. The occasional buzz of insects that flourished on a new world barely touched by civilization. It was only when he heard the sound of small careful footsteps nearby when he decided to interrupt his pretended slumber and open one eye.

To his surprise, two human children had approached his resting form, standing at a short distance from his right leg. The taller child, he presumed the oldest, was a girl with white skin and straight blonde hair, wearing a piece of clothing he knew was called a dress with floral patterns down to her knees. She held the hand of a younger child, a boy, or so he assumed, with dark skin and very short black kinky hair, wearing shorts and a T-shirt with a kind of drawn figure on it. Pushing himself up to sit on his rear, moving his thick tail from the position between his legs to flat on the grass behind his back, they did not even move as his height increased to a level above the boy’s head.

Flattening an ear at their smiling faces he wondered if mere curiosity drove them to bothering him. He had to admit, compared to the small creatures his muscular appearance was rather menacing, with his enormous legs and sharp charcoal gray foot claws. Despite that, they didn’t move a muscle when he shifted his position to get a better look. In fact, the girl said something before he did.

“Hi, I’m Hannah and this is my brother Brandon. He knows he’s adopted, but he’s still my brother and I love him. What’s your name?”

“ _What odd creatures actually_ ,” he thought.

While most of the hair in both sexes concentrated on their head like Fjetanha women had, the little bit that covered various places on their bodies was too little to be called fur or serve any other kind of purpose. They had small teeth and no claws. Flat faces with completely absent snouts. Large heads on tiny bodies with short limbs, although he had to admit, Mantrin children of young age had that problem too. Hannah kept smiling at him, showing a lot of teeth in the process while her brother did the same as he chewed on one of his fingers.

“My name is Syrran,” he replied. He kept his mighty voice down a bit on purpose, but they did not seem afraid in the least. In fact, Hannah let go of her brother’s hand and tried to get an even better look of him by stepping closer. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Hannah nodded.

“I can hear you.” She tapped the lobe of her ear in which he spotted a glimpse of a translator. “What’s that?”

She pointed at the vine-like cross-shaped drawing in solid black and blood-red colors on his right chest from her point of view. Looking down while running his clawed fingers over the intricate tattoo he smiled at the level of interest she showed in him.

“This? This is the crest… the symbol of my House. My family.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I like it too,” her brother added, staying close to his sister, unable to contain his own curiosity.

“ _Hyami_. You’re wearing a beautiful garment. Dress I mean.”

Hannah giggled.

“Thank you. You’re sweet.”

He wasn’t sure what these children wanted from him, but he guessed it was their way of making conversation. What she asked of him next, he did not expect.

“Can I… hold your hand?”

Despite his initial hesitation he figured there was no harm in it if that was what she wanted. Being very careful to keep his claws retracted, he stretched out his hand, feeling her warm touch as her tiny fingers found their way around two of his. He was amused by the size difference. Even as an adult, her hand would still seem small and fragile compared to his. He felt a sudden flush of warmth deep within his chest as she laughed again. The feeling was disturbed by the sound of a male voice calling from the distance. A human man made his way toward them with haste and he did not seem pleased with the situation.

“Hannah. Brandon. Get away from him.”

“But daddy,” the girl protested, “he’s really sweet.”

“I don’t care. We’re going. C’mon.”

“Sorry,” she said, her voice overflowing with disappointment, the corners of her mouth drooping.

She continued to look back as she and her brother ran to answer their father’s call. With his hands in his sides he awaited their return, shooting Syrran a squinted look, turning his back on him to walk back to the pool area.

“How many times have I told you? Don’t talk to them and don’t touch them. Didn’t you see that mark on his chest? He’s probably a member of some kill squad or something.”

“No, he’s not! That’s just the symbol of his family.”

“Doesn’t matter. They can be dangerous, and you might even catch something. Do you wanna get sick?”

Heaving a deep sigh of disappointment, Syrran stared after them. Hannah continued to look back until they reached the pool area which was themed to look like a beach, complete with guard towers, bars and parasols. Some of his crewmates had already gone over there to get drinks and after declining earlier he now longed for one. The thumping footsteps rustling the grass next to him made him look away from the place where he saw Hannah, Brandon and their father disappear between the masses.

“Making new friends?”

“I tried,” he grunted. “They think of us as animals.”

“Who? The girl?” Itan asked in surprise.

“Humans,” he sighed.

Itan gnawed on his lip, rolling his empty cup between his hands.

“Ready for that drink now? I could use a refill.”

“I’m ready to take you up on that offer.”


	3. The Breaking Point

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

# Chapter 3 The Breaking Point

Being part of the same research team, Ryt’s colleagues became Salu’s and Moa’s colleagues while integrating. The group of five included a human man named Samesh and a female Qu’utian named Ekli. The team was currently tasked with analyzing and comparing immune system responses of patients to the virus which had been nicknamed HV-1. Although this would not lead to a cure on its own, there were other benefits that were just as important.

Moa currently found herself behind a console in a data analysis room that housed two more of them, covering three sides of a square holoprojection table. The seats were designed to accommodate the bodies of as many species as possible and could be adjusted in many ways. She figured that if she had to spend long hours here, at least she wouldn’t leave with a backache at the end of each day. The room was well-lit and decorated in a spartan fashion, though that seemed to be the rule rather than the exception on both hospital levels.

“Your species seems to be more resilient in the early stages of the disease,” Ekli said with her almost musical tone of voice. “The immune system seems capable of mounting a defense, slowing the infiltration.”

“So it would seem,” Moa replied. She tapped the console to compare a series of scanner time-lapses on a huge panoramic screen. It showed the spread of the infection in the bodies of several patients over the course of ten days as it attacked and infiltrated the cells to replicate itself. “You’ve already considered the use of antibodies to slow the progression rate, right?”

Ekli nodded. Her doctor’s uniform was a special piece of clothing designed to regulate the moisture levels of her slippery orange skin with its characteristic patches of fluorescent moss. Her large violet eyes, set in a smooth elongated face, were like spherical pieces of crystal in which Moa could see the reflection of her own face if she looked close enough. Not only her looks, but also Ekli’s movements were like a salamander’s, fluid and graceful, as if she lacked solid bones.

“Yes, but modifying them to be used in foreign bodies is exceedingly difficult. We want to replicate the effects without triggering a hostile immune response.”

“You have already identified the compounds responsible for the positive effects. I will have the computer run more simulations on combining it with other antibodies. We could be on to something here.”

“Very well, young one. Be persistent and you shall succeed.”

“Ekli, can you help me analyze today’s new data and add it to the running simulations?” Samesh asked as he entered the room.

The man took a seat behind another console, its screen lighting up as he touched the controls.

“Yes, Samesh. Has Ryt gone to sleep?”

“She seemed very tired all day, but I still had to push her. Working too hard if you ask me.”

“Her dedication is admirable, but everyone needs rest at some point,” Ekli added. “Take care of yourself too,” she said close enough to Moa’s ear that she could feel the dampness of her breath.

The Qu’utian woman then turned around and flitted around the table on spindly legs to assist Samesh. While continuing to focus on the screen in front of her, Moa heard the dampened thumps of Mantrin feet behind her and Salu’s voice on her right side a moment later.

“No trouble settling in I see,” he said with his calm voice.

“Uh-huh. Antibody therapy to slow the disease seems promising. I’m letting the computer run more simulations so we can start synthesizing soon. It’s not a cure, but it might give us more time.”

“Very good, Moa. Time is precious. I’ll leave you to it.”

***

“One of our reactor rooms.”

Having spent some time chatting with crewmembers and colonists during their break in the park-like environment all around the settlement, Majih got into a conversation with one of the colony’s engineers. A Goureg Mantrin, going by the name Tyru. Small for his race and therefore being able to crawl into tight spots with less effort, he asked him and Jacky to lend him a hand in the reactor room of one of the towers. In the middle of the circular room, which was at least ten steps in height, sat a compact fusion reactor for supplying the entire building. Running in a low power maintenance state, the viewports of the torus-shaped reactor room spread only a faint purple-blue glow, compared to the hard yellow-white of the overhead lights.

“Like I said, every tower has its own, offering plenty of redundancy. We can shut down three reactors and still get enough power from the others combined before we run into problems. Hey Rafirr!” Tyru yelled in the direction of one of the engineers working on the reactor. Standing behind a control panel, instructing a coworker, the Akrennian lifted his head and looked in his direction. “I’ve brought help. Maybe let them have a look.”

Leaving the side of his human coworker, Rafirr strolled down the few steps of stairs from the raised platform of the metal catwalk construction that surrounded the reactor, large sturdy boots clanking on the grated panels. Still suffering from his species natural lankiness, his average height reduced this to some degree, yet his long arms swayed with every step he took. Like many others, Akrennians were far from a monotonous species themselves. Whatever race Rafirr belonged to, his overall tan brown skin and light gray eyes were uncommon traits.

Majih noticed Jacky shifting on her feet, her tail moving with quicker sweeps than usual. Akrennians seemed to have that effect on his kind. The wolfish grin Rafirr showed for a tick before responding provoked an instinctive snort of his own.

“If they think they can fix the problem, be my guest,” Rafirr said in a sly manner.

Crossing his long arms over his chest, he tipped his head toward the control deck and leaned against the railing that flanked the catwalk, creating room for the three Mantrins to pass. Keeping one eye on the Akrennian engineer, Majih followed Tyru until the Goureg took a left to move down another set of stairs to the catwalk’s lower level.

“Majih if you check with Emilio, I wanna ask Jacky if she can help me with a manual check of the injectors and divertors.”

“Sure,” Jacky said, following Tyru and clambering down the stairs.

They kept their long legs close to their bodies to keep them from hitting the railing on the way down as there wasn’t much room to work with.

“I will,” Majih said, nodding in affirmation.

Seeking eye contact with the human with the curly black hair and tanned skin, Emilio looked up when he heard his name being called. The man was about a head shorter than he was and dressed in Tyche project work gear. His dark eyes twinkled as he smiled when Majih crossed the last bit of distance to the workstation.

“Emilio Ramos.”

“Majih, House of Onari. Tyru explained the problem to me. You’ve been at it since this morning?”

He joined Emilio behind the reactor control console on the platform, which was a raised section of catwalk with enough room to stand behind him. There was only one seat, occupied by Emilio himself but the transparent display was huge. The schematic display of the reactor vessel took up most of the current view, flanked by similar schematics of its most important subsystems. Emilio sighed.

“Intermittently. We can’t seem to reach stable output since the drop from last night. Have a look with me.”

Standing behind the human with his arms crossed, Majih tapped his long tail on the catwalk before putting it to rest. That there was something wrong with the system was evident. A number of components on the screen blinked red and the power output level was too low to sustain a fusion reaction. Although the _Myr’shala_ ’s quantum drive used a singularity-based reactor, Majih’s experience with different types of starship propulsion systems made him confident he could handle a situation like this.

Fusion reactors were common devices because they were clean, efficient and less complex than solutions based on singularities or exotic matter. Fully developed to either power entire cities or miniaturized to fit into exoskeletons such as battle armor, the knowledge to maintain and repair them was acquired by many in this line of work.

“You already reset the reactor control computer?”

“This morning.”

“Manifold purge?”

“Twice.”

“Recalibration of the injector assembly?”

“After a full system diagnostic.”

Scratching the back of his neck, Majih dug into his mental knowledgebase as he studied the schematic. Fusion reactors were also equipped with a number of failsafe mechanisms to catch various types of malfunctions and incidents. Some of these had been triggered, but that still didn’t narrow it down enough to point out an obvious cause. Muttering to himself as he thought, he noticed Emilio turned around to watch him rack his brains.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen your race of Mantrin before. Are you--”

“Talocaan,” Majih interjected, raising one hand above his arm to silence the human, without tearing his eyes from the schematic on the screen.

 _It’s not the reactor. Fail-safes triggered. Its’s gotta be…_ “Could that be possible?”

“What could be possible?”

Shaking his head, Majih couldn’t resist smiling, the questioning look on Emilio’s face being part of the cause.

“You’ve got bugs.”

Emilio frowned.

“Not possible. This reactor control computer is running the latest software.”

“No, I mean Plasmaphids. Under the right conditions they can form. It’s rare, especially on surface reactors, but the symptoms are there. They _live_ off plasma energy and cause power leaks. That triggers the fail-safe mechanisms.”

“So, now what?”

“Purge program,” Rafirr answered. The Akrennian had been listening to their conversation, leaning against the catwalk railing with his arms crossed at the bottom of the few steps of stairs leading up to the platform. Glancing at Majih and Emilio, he showed them his cheeky grin. “I suspected that this was the problem. The reactor should have a purge program.”

Emilio heaved a derisive sigh.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

Rafirr shrugged.

“Because the purge program involves a cold restart. It’ll take some time to get the reactor back up to full power. I wanted to know for certain that there was no other way. Other than that,” he snickered, “I wanted to see how long it would take you guys to figure it out for yourselves.”

“You’re such an ass,” Emilio muttered under his breath.

Tapping the controls, he started the purge program by hitting the go-ahead button after a final confirmation message. The overhead lights did not even fluctuate with the amount of backup power available, as the reactor powered down with a sudden decrease in the pitch of its pulsating hum that echoed between the walls of the containment chamber. Majih watched the weak purple-blue glow emanating from the viewports fade out as the ring of fiery plasma extinguished.

“Good, now I can go for a drink.”

With these words, Rafirr turned his back on them and walked out at a leisurely pace, as the heavy steps of Tyru and Jacky announced their return to the catwalk’s upper level.

“Rafirr was being a jerk again?” Tyru grunted.

Getting up from his seat, Emilio threw his arms in the air in frustration.

“We’re done here. Inevitable cold restart.”

“Argh, I’m gonna kill the guy!” Tyru exclaimed, crossing his bulky arms. “Why can’t he just work with us?”

“Is he always like this?” Jacky asked.

“Not always,” Tyru replied. “Only when he wants to. But it’s not matter of _want_ right now. Situation is already tense enough as it is. Last thing we need is dissension between members of work crews.” With a sigh he uncrossed his arms and turned around toward the reactor room’s exit with a flick of his tail. Looking over his shoulder, the corner of his beak curved upwards. “Thanks for your help anyway.”

“Don’t mention it,” Majih replied, following Emilio as the last member of the chain.

His ears twitched as he listened to the sounds of the reactor on his way out. It would take several cycles for it be back in a state where it would produce more power than it consumed. The power plant was installed in a separate area below the tower and accessible by a spiraling walkway the group now followed upwards. A pair of heavy metal sliding doors restricted access to those with the right level of security clearance such as the maintenance crew that Tyru, Emilio and Rafirr were part of.

Back in the lobby on the bottom floor, Majih figured they would part ways. Emilio did this very thing after saying goodbye, taking one of the elevators, as he lived in the same building. They watched the Duraglass cabin zip to a level about thirty floors above them when Majih felt the light rumble in his stomach. He was about to accuse Tyru of mindreading when he had the perfect answer to this.

“You guys wanna go grab something to eat together?”

Hanaweya’s sun had begun its inevitable descent but there were plenty of late afternoon rays left. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air as they left the comfortable, yet artificial climate, Majih continued to cherish the planet’s tickling of his senses. Long bouncy grass under the soles of his feet. Clean air in his lungs, layered with a variety of odors. Those warming rays of afternoon sunlight touching his skin.

It was his mate who told him to appreciate this wherever he went. Binjeh’s connection to nature was at a spiritual level, but she was right when she taught him how lucky they were to be blessed with a home planet like Sogowa Prime. _Everyone has the right to live in harmony with the world on which they grow up. Be grateful for what we have here._

“So what do you guys think of our community so far?”

“I could get used to this,” Jacky said.

Her stare was directed at the habitat towers that shimmered in the afternoon sun as they crossed the recreational area. Majih noticed several groups of people in the process of calling it a day, gathering their towels, bags and toys as they went home. Many of them were families with at least one child and sometimes a pet. Some were groups of friends, that did not let being members of different species stand in their way. As was common for new world colonists, there were very few elderly people among them.

“You’ve built up a nice place,” Majih agreed. “Even my mate would agree, although I don’t think she could leave her garden behind.”

Tyru laughed.

“She’s like that too, huh? Wait until you meet my mate. I’ve asked her to meet with us.”

“I look forward to it. There’s one thing I’m curious about. This is a far-out world and rich in resources. What about pirates and slavers? Got anything to defend yourselves with?”

“Oh, they’ve tried. They might be able to turn a profit if they can get past the orbital defense platforms you must’ve seen during your approach. Courtesy of the Earth Alliance.”

He pointed in the direction of the tower were the _Myr’shala_ was parked on one of the landing strips. Although she was small by Imperial Guard standards, the starship was still several stories tall, thus hard to miss with her hull shimmering in the rays of Hanaweya’s sun.

“Those hangars next to your ship -she’s a real beauty by the way- are not empty. Got a full complement of fighters ready for takeoff on short notice.”

“So you’ve got the platforms and a full fighter squadron, and that’s enough?” Jacky asked, one ear flattening.

“If things get real tough, we’ve got one small cruiser. Never had to make use of her though. Those orbital platforms are latest gen and fully automated. Developed together with several other militaries that take part in the Tyche project. Nothing gets past those bad boys without clearance.” Tyru sighed. “Things were going so well. We had already planned the construction of new habitat towers on a different site with our own refined materials so we could receive a second group of colonists. Then this virus outbreak situation started, and it got postponed.”

“I’m sure things will turn out all right,” Jacky said. “We’re just the vanguard. More help is on the way.”

Although it sounded like she tried to lift his mood, which seemed to work as Tyru smiled when she said that, Majih knew it was more than that. More help _was_ on the way as Tyche project colonies were closely monitored and were on a priority list for receiving aid in emergency situations. It was however, as if her words flipped a switch.

The sound of an acoustic alarm waved over him as it stopped the trio dead in their tracks. People around them stopped moving in a reflexive response. Heads turned in the general direction where the sound waves emanated from, which had to be the habitat towers.

“This is a level three quarantine alert. All citizens, please return to your homes where you will receive further instructions. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action. Repeat. This is a level three quarantine alert. All citizens--”

“Should’ve kept my mouth shut,” Jacky said, rolling her eyes.

“We better do as instructed,” Tyru said with a firm voice. “You might wanna return to your ship. I owe you guys one.”

Despite the urgency of the message, the colony’s citizens responded in a calm and controlled manner, packing their belongings and doing as instructed. None of them seemed to have the intention of staying in the recreational area, which made Majih wonder what they meant by disciplinary action. Walking backwards in the direction they came from, Tyru followed their example, apologizing once more for their unexpected breakup.

“We’ll share that meal together!”

Jacky looked at Majih, and by the look in her eyes they were in agreement about their current situation.

“Better do as he says.”

Jacky nodded.

“Right. I have no intention to find out how they treat people who misbehave.”

***

Being quite a bit larger than average, even for his species, Jirro’s idea of shore leave did not involve sitting around doing nothing. The _Myr’shala_ was designed ensure that even the largest examples of his kind could move around with ease, yet at times it still felt confining. So instead of dozing off in the warmth of Hanaweya’s sun, no matter how inviting, he had been flexing his joints and muscles by taking a long walk through the different facilities the colony had to offer after all mandatory tasks had been handled.

The only break of significance he had had so far while doing this was a solitary meal in one of the many bars and restaurants scattered around the colony’s habitat towers. The food was good, a satisfying combination of locally produced ingredients he had never tasted before. Among them were vegetables and fruits he now beheld in the environment in which they were grown as his tour took him through one of the agricultural sections. At this point, he found himself in the company of none other than Azdar.

The dark-skinned Sogowan with the metal foot always seemed edgy, defensive and quick to anger. During their stroll over the broad circular walkway, surrounded by fruit bearing plants and trees, he seemed like a different person. In fact, the calm environment with its high humidity had the same effect on his own mind. The buzzing and beeping of hovering harvester- and caretaker robots that tended the crops and trees. The occasional hiss of water dispersal systems hidden between the overflowing racks. The soft rush of the atmospheric filters integrated into the high ceiling. The large amount of natural light penetrating deep into the building because of the extensive and clever use of Duraglass. The unintentional side effect was stress-reduction for those who were sensitive enough.

At the next T-junction, with at the right another walkway that crossed through the middle of the artificial garden, Azdar halted. Resting his back against the railing, he placed his burly arms on top, parallel to the metal rods as he turned around to face his superior. When Jirro looked straight at him, there was less hostility in his golden brown eyes and in his voice when Azdar answered the unspoken question Raeth threw up the moment they set foot on Hanaweya’s soil.

“I think I could make do around here. It’s not so bad. Better than Solbrecht in some ways.”

Jirro didn’t fail to notice the edge of bitterness in his crewmate’s voice, despite his relaxed tone. As he thought back about the difficulties of his own past, he realized they might have something in common, even though they grew up on different worlds.

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied. “Can count the number of times I’ve been there on one hand. But there is the racial thing, right?”

Azdar snorted.

“There’s _always_ the racial thing and _we_ always get the short end of the stick. We’d be better off without the humans, that’s for sure. They get the best jobs. They get the best housing while we’re scraping for what’s left.” Because he didn’t know how to respond, Jirro ground his teeth instead. Because of the relative quietness of their surroundings he felt the weight of silence pressing on him like a heavy blanket. His own situation of growing up an orphan on Sogowa Prime came with a different set of challenges that were not directly comparable to Azdar’s. Before the silence became awkward, Azdar decided to cut their conversion short, taking a heavy metallic step toward the nearest exit. “Forget it. I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.”

During their short walk to the elevators, Jirro followed Azdar over the walkway that bridged the entire diameter of the floor. The bridge was too narrow for them to walk next to each other, so he followed at a small distance, away from the lashing tip of Azdar’s tail. After leaving the warm and humid environment behind, the slight dampness on his skin increased the sense of coolness in the adjacent storage room where machines loaded fresh produce in chilled storage containers of different sizes.

It was at this moment when Azdar’s ears flicked and he nearly bumped into him as he stopped moving. The gunner’s sharp hearing had already picked up the indistinct chatter around the corner that became louder as whoever it was approached their position. Raising his hand, signaling to keep quiet, Jirro wondered why he made such a big deal out of it. But as he listened to the conversation between the individuals, he realized it was the conversation itself that triggered Azdar to listen.

“They’re going to initiate quarantine procedures soon. I’ve heard it from higher up. Numbers are still rising.”

“I thought the kangaroos were bringing in supplies? Wasn’t help on the way?”

“Too late. It’s spreading like wildfire. They started it, so they better fix it before leaving.”

 _“Kangaroo_ ,” Jirro thought, not having to dig long to remember where he heard that before.

A species of animal from Earth. More commonly known among members of his kind as a derogatory term used by humans because of certain physical similarities between his people and the animal. He also remembered director An’dryn mentioning that the humans blamed the Mantrins for being the cause of the outbreak. It seemed that this was true. By the different sounds of their voices, he could tell there were at least three of them, which turned out to be four when they revealed themselves in the large rectangular opening serving as the room’s primary exit.

All four were males, more or less the same height with some variation in skin color, hair color and built. They all wore a black security vest over a Tyche project blue T-shirt and pants. By instinct, Jirro checked the pockets of these vests and in a fraction of a tick identified a number of different kinds of tools, among which a series of crowd control level weapons.

“Speak of the devil,” one of them blurted out.

“Here you got two of them looking for trouble.”

“Whatcha doin’ here? Are you now poisoning our food supply?”

“ _If anyone is looking for trouble, it’s you,_ ” Jirro thought, suppressing the urge to bite back.

He felt a sudden rush of warmth rising up from inside his chest that spread to the tips of his ears. Not only was the blatant accusation based on nothing, their Imperial Guard clearance granted them access to many of the colony’s facilities unrestricted.

“We were just going for a walk, that’s all,” was his answer.

Azdar was less inclined to let it slide. The gunner displayed a strong sense of dislike toward humans in particular and now he partially knew why.

“So if you little _monkeys_ would just let us pass, we’ll be on our way,” he sneered, taking an exaggerated step toward them.

Hands instinctively reached for the pockets in their vests when the humans braced, even though he and Azdar were both unarmed. He knew his species’ size and muscularity had an intimidating effect, but the scowling looks on their faces appeared in perfect timing with Azdar’s use of the word ‘monkeys’. His crewmate grinned when he looked back over his shoulder, a look of mischief on his face.

“Humans don’t like it when you call them _monkeys_ , but if we’re gonna stick to calling each other animals, that’s fine with me.”

“Maybe we can teach you a different lesson. About showing some _respect_.”

As the man who spoke last retrieved an object from the holster on his side, which turned out to be a telescoping stun baton, Jirro noticed how Azdar’s claws unsheathed. The blunt tip of the weapon emitted a faint blue glow after activation and his sensitive ears picked up the low hum.

“Hold it Lorenz,” his taller colleague said with a calm tone of voice.

Putting his hand on the man’s shoulder seemed to relieve some of the tension, but all four of them made sure not to break eye contact.

 _“Maybe at least one of them has some common sense,”_ Jirro thought while grinding his molars together.

It was a wild guess anyways as humans were harder to read than most other species. Their lack of a tail and small rigid ears didn’t help much. He just had a tone of voice, facial expression and limited body language to go by. The taller man smiled, letting his hand slide off his subordinate’s shoulder.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot here,” he said, rubbing the thin brown beard that followed the bottom curvature of his face with the tips of his fingers. “Besides, they were going to apologize, am I right?”

The sound Azdar made held the middle between a laugh and a snort. In addition, he made a hand gesture universally interpreted as extremely rude.

“Eat this.”

The man snickered.

“That’s cute. Maybe mister Lorenz here is right. You _do_ need a lesson in respect.”

At that point, the remaining three all retrieved their batons. This time Jirro realized his claws extended on instinct because they stung into the palms of his hands as he smelled hostility. He had to give them credit for trying to attack two veterans, a gunner and a soldier, both trained in various combat techniques, with and without weapons. Then again, there were four of them and they were all armed.

Splitting into two groups, they tried to divide Azdar’s attention by surrounding him, to find an opening while staying out of range of his powerful legs and sharp claws until the last possible moment. Jirro wasn’t planning on letting his crewmate fight on his own. Using the stacks of closed metal storage containers as cover they restricted the angles their opponents could use for their attack. This only worked for a short period of time. When they noticed he joined the fight without hesitation, they split up once more. It was much harder to track four individuals at the same time, the way the containers were stacked and arranged. The humans had the advantage here of being able to slip between the stacks with more ease.

One man’s first attempt to strike at Azdar failed, as the Mantrin pulled back his leg, attempting to strike back at the man’s arm with the extended claws of his hand. The diversion worked though. His colleague attacked from the other side, planting the tip of the stun baton into the back of Azdar’s thigh. Commonly known as shock sticks, the weapon unleashed a crackling sound as the paralyzing energy worked its way through Azdar’s body. After a short agonizing roar, the instinctive response of slamming his muscular arm back against that of the attacker with enough force knocked the weapon out of his hand.

Meanwhile, Jirro lost track of one out of two trying to overpower him. _“Though I would still love to see you try,”_ he thought, feeling the chilling touch of a container as he pressed his back against it. At least the in-ceiling lights prevented an attack from the shadows. Expecting them to jump him at any moment, his head flicked from left to right and back. Using his warrior’s instinct and his sharp hearing he made a best guess with mixed results.

On their sturdy boots, the four men were not exactly light-footed. The thumping of steps came from the right and instead of falling back he dashed straight at the attacker, who held his baton ready, but did not expect the equal counterattack. He saw the expression on the men’s face change from malice to surprise, and from surprise to shock as he double-kneed him into his chest.

The combination of muscular strength, forward motion and weight made for such a powerful blow that the human was knocked off his feet and sent flying backwards against another stack of containers. Dropping his weapon in the process, the man groaned, unable to scramble back on his feet right away as the containers toppled over in the other direction with a deafening sound that echoed through the room.

Ignoring the bruise, as the man’s vest appeared to have some integrated layer of body armor, Jirro turned the bulk of his body around to face the other opponent, while trying to figure out if Azdar’s growls and shouts were because he was in trouble or because he couldn’t control his anger. In a flash he saw the dark brown Mantrin beat back against his opponents in a fit of fury. A flash, because he had heard the other man coming, yet could not turn fast enough to avoid the stab in the back he received with the shock stick.

His muscles cramped. Countless fiery hot needles seemed to spread out from the point of contact. The weapon crackled and sparked. A mighty roar, a rush of anger and willpower broke through the paralyzing grip the weapon held on his body. Lashing out with legs and arms that temporarily felt like rubber, his attacker could not sustain contact, despite the weakening effect of his weapon. He took a big step toward the human male with a loud snort, his muscles freed, though aching like he had been training for hours. It was enough to make the man recoil.

“Just grab ‘im!” the strained and hoarse voice of his colleague sounded behind him.

“Grab him? Are you kiddin’ me?”

Snapping his head back, Jirro was surprised the human managed to stand on his legs in such a short period of time. Disoriented and unable to find his fallen weapon, the man searched his pockets for something else with one hand as he clamped his chest with the other.

“Still haven’t had enough?” Jirro barked, backing away so he could keep an eye on both of them as he reassessed the situation.

“You’re gonna regret this!” the armed man, now on his left said, his weapon at the ready to try again.

Through clenched teeth, Jirro let out a growl that made him think twice about his statement. Locking stares with the man, he knew in an instant that he wasn’t dealing with a warrior. This was a man with a security job, conflicted between fear and anger and therefore stuck in a moment of indecision.

Breaking their stare was another one of his colleagues, sailing through the air and hitting hard metal somewhere in the middle of the triangle formed by their current positions. The man coughed, spitting blood on the floor. Azdar, despite his size seemed to appear out of nowhere. Eyes flickered with uncontrollable rage. The claws of his right hand were ready to tear into flesh. His other hand grabbed the man’s vest, lifting him off the stained floor without effort.

“Please… no more,” the human brought out, as he hung in the grip of the furious Mantrin.

Sharp claws hovered above his eye. Tiny droplets of spittle sprayed his face as Azdar could barely control his breathing. A few ticks passed in a moment of shock, until Jirro decided to end it, putting on his loudest voice.

“Azdar!”


	4. Inner Demons

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

# Chapter 4 Inner Demons

Time seemed to stand still in a situation that was precarious to all in varying degrees of severity. Frozen to a halt, nobody dared to make a move in the stalemate Azdar had created. The Mantrin panted through clenched teeth, his beak hovering close to the man’s bleeding face, as were the sharp edges of his claws. His ears lay flat on the back of his head and his eyes shimmered with rage. When Jirro called his name, he did not respond, just continued to stare at the damage he had already done, ready to make it worse. Until Jirro took one slow step closer, ready to intervene, though careful not to make any sudden moves.

The Sogowan looked up at him, as if Jirro’s voice finally came through and took away the veil of anger that clouded any sense of reason. What happened next Jirro did not anticipate. Tears like glistening pearls rolled down Azdar’s cheeks, as he softened his grip on the man’s vest and slowly lowered his body back on the floor. Collecting at the bottom of his beak they dripped down on the human’s chest. Retracting his claws, he stepped back, letting the humans attend to their wounded comrade.

Jirro shook his head as they collected what remained of their dignity and left without exchanging any further words, the two who had received the least blows supporting the injured man on both sides. The fourth guy, who had received Jirro’s rough treatment had to support himself, stumbling toward the room’s exit. His breathing still sounded shallow, with an audible wheeze and Jirro wondered if he had perhaps been too rough. _Humans are fragile creatures after all._

Taking ragged breaths, Azdar wiped at his cheeks with furious strokes, letting out a shout in frustration. Jirro had to admit to himself, they got under his skin too with their derogatory and offensive manners, but it was nothing compared to his crewmate’s response. This went far deeper than he thought at first.

“This is a level three quarantine alert. All citizens, please return to your homes where you will receive further instructions. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action.”

The audio broadcast shook them both out of whatever train of thought kept them from talking to each other. Unsure what so say, and not even very good in these sorts of situations anyway, Jirro balanced on his enormous legs, flexed his sore muscles and forced himself to move.

“We better get back to the _Myr’shala_.”

***

“They picked a fight and beat up our security personnel. If your crewmembers don’t know how to behave, then I’m being forced to ask you to leave. We have a quarantine situation down here and on top of that we already have our hands full on breaking up fights between citizens regarding racial matters. Last thing we need is your people adding to our problems.”

Instead of arguing or even protesting, Raeth listened to An’dryn’s words while trying to understand and reason with him. The Indarian was furious but kept his anger surprisingly well in check. It coated his voice without raising the volume to shouting, though Raeth could see the bone-like blades embedded in his forearms extend on the projected image. Like Raeth, he stood behind his desk as he talked, which did a perfect job of adding weight and authority without having to resort to a more primitive reaction.

“You have my sincere apologies for what happened. The two members of my crew will be dealt with accordingly. I assure you that it will not happen again.”

“See to it that it doesn’t.” The Indarian heaved a derisive sigh, his facial expression switching from anger to disappointment. “What we need is your help. Not… this.”

The transmission ended, leaving Raeth standing in his ready room in silence. With daylight fading, the last few rays lighting up the thin cloud formations in the sky behind him, he took a few deep breaths before calling in the two crewmembers in question. He had asked them to wait outside until he was finished talking to the director. There were always two sides to every story, but the images of the security cam feed raised a number of questions regarding the mental state of at least one member of his crew.

“You can enter.”

With a gruff expression on his face, Jirro entered the room first. His _Kaedar_ did not even avoid eye contact, having his signature emerald glare ready, assuming position in front of his desk on the left side from Raeth’s point of view. Calm and controlled, he seemed convinced that he wasn’t at fault despite what happened, and Raeth figured that wasn’t even far from the truth.

Azdar however, was a different story. Joining Jirro’s side, the Sogowan ground his teeth, his tail thrashing from side-to-side. His hands, resting on top of his legs, kept alternating between being balled to fists and squeezing his thighs. Avoiding his stare, he was the complete opposite of Jirro.

“What happened down there was inexcusable.”

“Sir,” Jirro began. “The humans attacked us first. We merely defended ourselves.”

“Defended yourselves? Oh, you did more than that. I’ve seen it for myself.”

“ _They_ provoked _us_ ,” Jirro retorted with a snort.

“Okay, I get it. They provoked you. They hurt your pride. And you guys put two men in the hospital, one with two broken ribs and internal bleeding, the other with a dislocated jaw and a concussion.”

“They came at us with shock sticks!”

Rubbing his temple, Raeth sighed. It was apparent that after an exchange of only few words, things got out of hand fast. An’dryn was right. Jirro and Azdar had experienced firsthand the tenseness of the situation. What happened was unfortunate, but also unfair. _What would I have done?_

“Is there anything you have to say for yourselves? Azdar? You haven’t said a word so far.” The Sogowan grunted, muttering something inaudible to himself, still avoiding eye contact. “What did you say?”

“I said they deserved it.”

“They deserved it? Are you making fun of this?”

Having raised his voice, he now finally seemed to have Azdar’s attention. He looked back at him, golden brown eyes glittering with anger. And then, all of that pent up anger reached the boiling point.

“Yes, they deserved it!” he thundered. “On Solbrecht I watched humans destroy everything they touched. They killed my _kharii_!”

Tears wetted his cheeks. He was shaking on his legs, struck by what Raeth guessed was a wave of bad memories crashing into him at this point. Even Jirro looked uneasy, having taken a small step away from Azdar as he was tormented by his own emotions. Raeth had always figured that a difficult past was Azdar’s reason for avoiding talks about it or anything else for that matter, but nothing of this magnitude. Having grown up on Solbrecht, he knew the world had its positive and less positive sides. It was time for Azdar to tell his story.

“I did not know that.”

“I can still smell their stink on me. I _hate_ them!”

Raeth shook his head.

“Jirro, you’re dismissed.”

“Sir?”

“You heard me.”

A little surprised, the large part Ryrjhii, part Goureg turned around and walked out of the room, throwing a last glance over his shoulder before disappearing behind the double semi-transparent doors. Raeth gestured at the floor pillows in front of his desk while lowering himself to the floor to sit down on his own. Azdar still tried to regain his composure, succeeding to some degree. With a loud snort, he wiped at his face with his sleeve.

“Sit down, Azdar.”

“I prefer to stand.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” With reluctance in every movement he sat down on one of the floor pillows. His tail hit the deck a few times with a couple of hard taps until he finally put it to rest. Grinding his teeth together he looked at a random spot on Raeth’s desk, his ears still lowered to a hostile stance. “Right. Now you’re going to tell me, _everything_.”

***

“C’mon Azdar, one more round! The sun’s still up.”

The boy considered the park the best part of the suburbs in which he lived. Playing games with friends. Enjoying the natural shade created by the tall trees with their lush green crowns during the warm days of Solbrecht’s summers. The refreshing coolness of the small lake nearby for those longing for a dive during the peak.

But the best part of being in the park, be it after school or on the off days, was having fun with Shihna. That he had a crush on her was no longer a secret. That she loved him back, wasn’t either. Even before they started their first year of high school, they had a long and innocent relationship together. Having reached their teenage years, things got more serious.

“Sorry. I… I gotta get home. It’s getting late.”

Hesitation had latched on to his voice. The questioning looks on his friends’ faces. The feeling that they barely got started. The fact that if it were truly up to him, he would continue to play until sundown. As he walked backwards off the field, where they had been playing a variation on a human game called soccer, his friends paused the game as he threatened to leave in the middle of it. The hover ball they had been using instead of a regular one introduced a whole new playing style. In addition, both teams were a mixed bunch of different species, with different physical characteristics which also added some refreshing aspects to a classic sport that originated from Earth.

If he wasn’t so conflicted, he would have wondered for longer than a tick how those wildly different faces, Mantrin, human, Akrennian, Vusstran, Indarian, were capable of giving him the exact same awkward stare. To his relief, it was Shihna who broke through the accompanying silence and left the field the join him.

“Just play on without us guys, I’ll be back.”

Shihna. Sogowan race. Lighter skin than his own. A chocolate brown base color and some uneven variation in her lighter spots. He loved her tomboyish nature. Her jeans shorts with the frayed edges and T-shirt with Mantrin skull print showed to everyone that she liked to play rough. That naughty look in her copper-colored eyes. The way her ears flicked before she purred to show her affection for him.

She was now less than a step of distance away from him. A bit of a worried look on her face, one ear lowered. Noticing how he just stood there, digging his foot claws into the soft grass-covered soil, she decided to ask.

“Azdar, is everything all right? You’re all about leaving early lately.”

Noticing how their friends continued the game, he sighed. He knew he was staring at her feet instead of looking her in the eyes, when he started talking. A sudden fear took hold of him. A fear to tell the truth. _What would she think? What would my friends think?_ He figured it was perhaps too late to worry about such things. Everyone had already noticed the changes in his behavior.

“It’s just…”

“Hey,” she said, stepping closer. “You can tell me.”

Being about the same size, she now stood so close that the tip of her beak almost touched his. Displaying that cheeky grin, she placed her fists on his chest, leaning against him in a playful manor. If anything, it made him feel even more nervous. Angered by the thought that the situation now threatened to creep into their relationship, he let her, secretly glad when one of their friends started whistling in their direction from the soccer field.

“Oh, knock it off!” Shihna barked back, pushing herself up with such force that he had to brace. “You know it’s on. It’s nothing new.” Turned toward him again, she grinned. “Stupids. Now, about you.”

“I’m really sorry. I have to go home. My _kharii_ will get mad. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

For a moment she gave him the same awkward stare once more.

“What’s it with you and your _kharii_ lately? I mean, look at me. I can do whatever I want all day. My parents don’t care. As long as I get home before midnight.”

“It’s his new job. It’s giving him a lot of stress. He gets angry a lot. I need to be home for dinner.”

Shihna snorted.

“Well, I hope it blows over soon ‘cause we’re a man short.”

“I-I’ll figure it out, really. And then we can do something together again.”

She smiled.

“All right. If that’s what you want.”

She added a lick on his cheek. After returning one of his own, they locked together in a firm cuddle. Burying her face into his chest, she growled.

“I hate it that you’re leaving so quickly again,” she said with a muffled voice. “Talk to your _kharii_ , okay? You’ve got a life of your own.”

Knowing he was failing at it, he tried to sound convincing in his reply.

“I will.”

She looked up. A shimmer of naughtiness in her eyes when she grinned again. He loved her for it and cursed himself at the same time for falling for it.

“So whaddaya say? One more round?”

***

“I made such a mistake! I should’ve gone home like I planned. I just, didn’t wanna disappoint her again.”

Azdar’s voice cracked like something was stuck in his throat. Shifting his weight on his floor pillow, Raeth folded his hands on his desk. He was far from being used to playing the role of counselor. The only other person he considered capable of fulfilling that role was Salu. However, on a ship the size of the _Myr’shala_ , he figured the commanding officer should at least watch over the mental wellbeing of the crew. They had a job to perform after all.

“What? You made the mistake of trying to have fun? A teenage kid, who just started high school?”

“You don’t understand,” Azdar replied with a snort. “I was getting to that part.”

“ _Uiisa_. I shouldn’t’ve interrupted you. Go on.”

Azdar sighed, biting his lip before continuing. His body language told Raeth that he was reaching into his darkest memories. The frequent grinding of teeth. His lowered ears. His tail sweeping the deck with rapid flicks.

“I lost track of time. I knew I was gonna be in trouble when one of the other kid’s parents came to get him.”

***

With both his hearts beating in his throat, he hurried home as fast as he could, having pulled the straps of his small backpack to prevent uncomfortable bounces. He almost got hit by a hovercar as he crossed a street without looking. He almost ran into someone when he dashed around a corner, uttering a hasty apology, without slowing down.

His large triple-jointed legs were built for speed. In his thoughts he could almost keep up with the flying vehicles overhead, moving away from and toward the center of the city over their virtual roads in the sky. He tried to use this thought and his natural stamina to cross the couple of hundred steps between his home and the edge of the park. That and being chased. Chased by his own fear of what would happen when he stepped through the door opening.

Slowing down until he reached the street where his house stood, the young Mantrin panted lightly, his shirt moist and his skin covered by a thin film of sweat. About half the free-standing houses in his street were inhabited by Mantrin families, given away by the wide front doors and parked vehicles that had been adapted for their kind. The other homes were populated predominantly by humans and a number of other ethnic minorities that formed the giant cultural melting pot that Solbrecht had become.

Not that this mattered to him. He didn’t even respond when their neighbor across the street said hi as he crossed, his hearts beating even harder against the inside of his chest. An invisible force squeezed his throat to the point that swallowing felt like choking on his own tongue. With the sun touching the horizon, the lights inside the house were on. As he shuffled the last couple of steps, he tried to peek inside through the thin bar of glass placed off-center into the thick wooden door with its intricate engravings.

He didn’t know what to prepare for. Since his father switched jobs he complained without end. That he had his pay cut. That he liked his former job way better. That he had to work with humans, who were responsible for him losing his previous job. But the worst part were the bad habits he picked up along the way, in particular the drinking.

Scraping together some courage, by taking a few breaths, he retrieved the keycard that would open the door for him from his shorts pocket. He almost dropped it, the way his hand trembled. Moving it toward the reader next to the door in a way that would make one think he was dismantling a bomb, he heard the soft click of the locking mechanism.

Taking careful steps, not even sure why he tried to stay quiet, he slipped inside. Perhaps it was because it was quiet inside the house as well, which made him feel suspicious about the whole thing. He knew it was late. He had checked his phone when he left the park. He promised to be home on time. _What should I do? I do owe them an apology. Kharii can’t be that mad if I apologize first._ Following that train of thought, he skipped the broad stairs leading up the first floor and went straight ahead to the living room, after which time seemed to slow down.

Flattening an ear, wondering why no one was there, he realized his mistake when a strong force snatched him up from the floor like he were a stuffed doll. His breath caught in terror as the collar of his T-shirt cut off his air supply. “There he is!” his father’s voice thundered in his ear. “There’s that good for nothing piece of worthlessness!”

Being a large Sogowan male Mantrin, his strength was overwhelming. His T-shirt alone wouldn’t be enough to hold him without tearing the fabric, so his father had grabbed him by his shirt and backpack at the same time. With his feet trying to get a grip on the stone floor as he struggled, he tried to force his fingers between the collar of his shirt and his neck while being dragged along. “ _Kharii_ … please. I’m sor--” “Quit y’r whining! You know why you’re being punished!”

And then, the living room, with its wooden table, it’s floor pillows and fragrant plants turned into a blur, after what felt like his shoulders being dislocated. For a split tick he felt weightlessness. Then everything turned black as a white-hot blade cut through his left arm and his head felt like it split open at the back of his skull. He screamed, or at least he thought he did, as he felt his body slump to the floor against what had to be the wall, judging by its rough surface.

The pain in his arm was intense, as if that imaginary blade was still at work. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on his side, the way the floor was now to the left of his field of vision, refusing to snap into focus. The throbbing in his head induced a wave of nausea, worsened by the room that continued to spin. His father stood at a small distance from him, the claws of his foot shimmering in the light of a nearby lamp. He realized he couldn’t have come home at a worse time.

The sloshing of fluid inside a bottle as his father raised his arm. His swallowing as he gulped down the contents. That sweet- and sour smell on his breath when he yelled in his ear. And then something he had never smelled before. An ashy odor, a little wood-like and a hint of something sweet. He carried it with him, in particular in his clothes. Even now he could still smell it.

“I’m sorry, _kharii_ ,” he heard himself say.

The man he called his father did not even seem bothered by what he had caused. Closing his eyes to make the spinning stop, fighting against the urge to vomit, he felt the tears being squeezed through his eyelids.

“Stop crying and get up!”

“By Kirliya, look what you’ve done!” His mother’s voice was full of shock. He heard her steps hurry toward him. Heavy thumps as she sunk on her knees next to him. Her caring touch was meant well, yet he whimpered as it worsened the pain in his arm. “How could you?” she barked over her shoulder. “Have you gone completely out of your mind? He’s your son!”

“Don’t you _dare_ talk to me like that!”

“Or _what_?” He watched as his mother stood up. Being a large Mantrinesse herself, she was more than capable of standing up to him. Which she did, for his sake. Spreading her legs, tail lashing and ears flattened on the back of her head, she confronted him. “Can’t you see you’re ruining our lives? All you do is complain. If you hate the humans so much, then why’re you picking up their filthy habits? The drinking.” She snorted in disgust. “I can’t believe you even started smoking. Makes me feel sick. You _Uvath_!”

With the voices of his parents bellowing across the room, he tried to shut himself off for what was happening around him. His focus shifted from the pain in his arm, to the back of his aching head where he felt something warm seep down on the floor, and to the storm that went on in his mind. _What have I done?_

A mighty roar. The sickening sound of a fist striking flesh and bone. His mother stumbled backwards. It was as if a rock plunged into his stomach. It took him a few ticks to comprehend what just happened. _I should’ve gone home, like I planned to. Why didn’t I just go home?_

Another roar, a bit higher pitched this time. After a shout and a blow, a loud bang shook the whole house the way the contents of one of the cabinets jingled. It was followed by the rattling of a glass bottle rolling over a rough stone surface. He heard his father groan. When he dared to open his eyes again, he watched his mother stand over his father, panting and growling.

“And stay down!” she shouted, stomping her foot. He grumbled something inaudible in response. “Now I’m going to call an ambulance. And take care of our son.”

***

“The first few times she actually hit him back.” He shook his head. “I thought it would stop. Wasting money on drinking. The cigarettes… But it didn’t.”

Raeth continued to listen as the story went on. It had become apparent that Azdar had a much more troublesome youth than any peers he had ever associated with on Solbrecht. Domestic violence was not that uncommon, even on Sogowa Prime, but he did not have any experience with it.

“He beat her. He beat my _hahme_ until she bled. I don’t know for how long. Maybe a year… cycle I mean.” He scoffed. “Using a human term. Shows that I grew up there.”

“So… how did it end?”

Azdar sighed.

“Of course, people around our neighborhood got wind of it eventually. Still can’t believe it took that long. One night he almost beat her to death. I ran out on the street, calling for help. He went after me. People saw him beat me up, so they called the police.” He looked down at the space between his crossed legs. “He was arrested and taken away from us.”

Raeth flattened an ear.

“Wait, I though you said humans killed your _kharii_?”

A flash of anger cut across his face when Azdar looked up and straight into his eyes.

“Yes they did! They got him addicted. They murdered the man I knew as my _kharii_ and gave me back a _monster_!” With his teeth clenched together his eyes shimmered with rage once again. Raeth could only imagine how it would’ve felt to a boy that age. He and Ashia had their arguments sometimes, most of the time regarding the kids, but he had never laid so much as a finger on her. “He almost killed her. There was so much blood!”

A tear left the corner of his eye, leaving a wet trail on the side of his face. In the meantime, Raeth figured out what to do. What to say. He might not even be the right person to help Azdar deal with this problem.

“Have you ever asked for help? Has anyone ever tried to help you deal with--” “Masai,” he said, his voice having a grateful undertone. “Masai’s been… very understanding. Talking to her helps. It’s more than anyone ever did for us on Solbrecht.”

“Someone _did_ try to help your family recover afterwards?”

Azdar grunted.

“We had these counseling sessions. My _hahme_ she… she got these anxiety attacks. She had nightmares all the time. She cried a lot. Stupid counselor was always too busy, so it often got rescheduled, cancelled or we got someone else. They didn’t care about our problems.”

“What about your _kharii_? Did he?...”

He shook his head.

“He abused my _hahme_. He beat me up a couple of times. He had to do jail time and was forced to pay for the damages. Then again, he never had any real money, so we didn’t see most of what he was sued for. I never saw him again. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s dead.”

He snorted, beating his thigh with a fist.

“I even lost Shihna during that period. Her parents decided to move away from the city. We talked a few times over long distance. I guess we both realized it was pointless, so we decided to end it. Never saw her again either.”

Raeth sighed.

“Listen. I will help you in any way I can. If you need time off, when we fly past home, I can--”

“I don’t need time off! I-I need to support my _hahme_. Get her some money so she can live.”

He seemed so determined that it changed Raeth’s mind about trying to shove a period of leave down his throat.

“Fine. One promise. I do not want you going around beating people up again. Is that clear?”

“Yes… sir.”

“And I want you to discuss this with Salu when he returns. He might be able to help you deal with that anger.”

“Bridge to Raeth,” Jetreycka’s voice sounded over the com. “Command is becoming very insistent. They demand that we leave on our next assignment as soon as possible.”

“All right! Give me another millicycle. We’re almost done.”

He heaved a derisive sigh, wondering how the higherups were going to respond to the fact that the _Myr’shala_ was going to be without a doctor for a while. Because of his level of expertise Salu had already requested that he and Moa could stay longer if required. He did not consider that an issue as long as command agreed to this course of action. Honoring Salu’s request, for the sake of the colonists, he vowed to be as persuasive as possible.

“All right, Azdar. If there’s nothing else you want to discuss with me, you’re dismissed.”

Azdar’s decision was a quick one, as he got up from the floor after a few ticks. Giving his cheek a final stroke, he had turned half around when he looked at Raeth again. He wasn’t quite sure, but was the corner of his beak slightly turned upward? The tiny glimmer in his eyes a sparkle of gratitude?

“ _Hyami_ ,” he said, making Raeth wonder if he ever heard that word out of Azdar’s mouth before. “For… understanding.”

***

“Sounds like we just crossed the threshold,” Ryt said with a dismayed look on her face, in a response to the quarantine alert. Needless to say, the whole medical wing of the Avalon tower was excused from following the order to self-isolate. The Vusstran woman had slept for a few cycles, but it wasn’t enough to erase the darker discoloration of her gray skin around her eyes. She and Salu used the holoprojection table in the middle of the analysis room to visualize the transmission and spread of the infection through patients’ bodies. “The outcome of over ninety percent of the simulations run on antibody treatment is positive. Synthesis of specific solutions has started.”

Salu responded with a satisfied nod. At least they made some progress. Their team’s efforts combined with the research of the other branches began to produce results.

“Like Moa said, it’s not a cure, but this will give us a little more breathing room to find one.”

“Hmm hmm. We can start administering as soon as the first batch is ready. If you’re up for it, we can use your help with patient care, before we start work on the next phase. Make sure you get sufficient rest and nutrition too when you feel like it. You know where the mess hall and sleeping quarters are.”

“You’re the one to talk, Ryt,” Samesh quipped. “You’re still working too hard. You can’t keep up on naps and snacks alone.”

Ryt chuckled.

“I know, I know. I’ll go eat something in just a tick. Will you share a meal with me, Salu?”

“Sure,” Salu said, only then realizing his stomach more than agreed with that. “I’ll go find Moa and Ekli in the main research lab and see how we’re doing on both the cure and the vaccines. Then maybe we can eat something together.”

“All right. I’ll finish up here.”

After leaving the analysis room, noticing by the light levels both inside and outside the building that the day was coming to an end, Salu took a right and followed the curved corridor past several smaller research labs and analysis rooms until he reached a broadening of the walkway.

The main research lab on the lower floor of the hospital hung over part of the tower’s lobby like a giant hockey puck. Like in the other towers, the walkway went all around the outer wall to the other side of where he stood, encircling the sickle-shaped gap between the lab and the walkway. The floor above made up the hospital ward and the lobby’s ceiling, denying this tower the same hollowed out tree-trunk structure as some of the others.

The main lab’s transparent wall made it look like a giant watchtower for keeping an eye on things down below. It was filled with large sensitive equipment, operated by researchers of different species and he was about to step through the double automatic doors when the sound of voices got his attention. Voices that got louder. Voices that carried anger. As he walked a little further, he realized it was the sound of a demonstration.

Group of at least ten individuals each, separated by species, had gathered in the lobby, holding up self-made signs and banners, with texts in their respective languages. They formed a front against each other and the security personnel that tried to keep them from entering the elevators. Shocked by the texts he was able to read, he tried to listen to the shouts of protest.

“Say _no_ to foreign treatments!”

“Human doctors for human patients!”

“An Akrennian cure for an Akrennian body.”

He didn’t need much to get the point. The protesters had the attention of some of the research personnel as well, as some of them lined up next to the window to take a look at what happened on the bottom floor.

_Oh no, not this again._

Saddened by what he saw and heard, he was about to go find Moa, when his wristcom chimed.

“Raeth to Salu.”

“Yes, Raeth.”

After accepting the call, a tiny holographic version of his _Ginjha_ presented itself on the unit’s holoprojector. To make the projection look less awkward, only the part captured by the holo-camera was animated and seamlessly connected to a virtual body, to create a full image.

“I have received our next assignment from command. We are to leave as soon as we’re able. They were reluctant, as expected, but they are willing to honor your request. You and Moa can stay and work on a cure while we’re carrying out another supply run. Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Raeth, have you ever had one of those moments when you just feel that you can make a difference?”

“I _think_ I know what you’re getting at.”

“Well, this is one of them. Let me show you.”

Leaning over the walkway’s railing, he directed his wristcom at the cloud, tilting the device so it’s internal camera could capture the crowd. Raeth heaved an audible sigh, his projection flicking an ear.

“Just like home, eh?”

Salu nodded.

“I’m afraid so.”

“We’ll try to stay in contact. Take care of yourselves. _Myr’shala_ out.”


	5. The Oath

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

# Chapter 5 The Oath

After breaking contact with the _Myr’shala_ , Salu felt himself struck with a strange feeling of abandonment, despite his stay being his own request. Moa had agreed to stay with him without raising a single question, yet it made him wonder if the decision would have been different had fallen unto her shoulders. Trying to shake the feeling, as he and Moa found themselves a seat in the Avalon tower’s largest auditorium, he figured it was because they had been a crew for such a short period of time and he now left to fight a war in an alien environment.

Ryt, Samesh and Ekli were a fine team to work with and to get to know each other better they did exchange a couple of personal stories while sharing a meal, before they were called to the meeting. Ryt was a medical researcher on Vusstra before being offered the opportunity to join the new world colonists of Hanaweya II. After working as a doctor in a hospital on Earth, Samesh Mahajan spent about a cycle in the same role aboard an Earth Alliance starship before deciding that he liked new frontiers, yet still preferred solid ground under his feet. Ekli left the safety of Qu’ut Prime to strengthen the ranks of her people throughout the galaxy and expand her knowledge as a biophysicist.

The auditorium in the shape of a semicircle had filled up fast. Like Ryt said, the entire medical wing, support staff and anyone remotely qualified had been called upon to combat the growing problem. The semicircle was divided in three equal sections. The head of the medical department was formed by three chief physicians, who had taken their place on the center platform from which they addressed their audience.

The one in the center, a human woman, gestured for silence and dimmed the lights using a holographic interface projected at waist height. The sound of voices faded away in unison as her colleagues, a Vusstran man and an Akrennian woman called up their own interfaces.

“Thank you all for your punctuality,” the human physician began her talk. She had a clear and bit of a stern voice and wore her chin-length, straight brown hair in a voluminous symmetrical cut. Salu estimated her somewhere around forty cycles. At least the experienced showed, or so he figured. “As you all know we have a situation on our hands that just grew even more serious.”

With another gesture she brought up a stage-wide projection of current statistics.

“The numbers are rising. At the end of this day we have seventy-four victims hospitalized. While the outcome of several simulations look promising, we haven’t synthesized a stable cure, nor a vaccine. On top of that we have another issue.”

She paused. Salu knew what was coming. He had seen it with his own eyes. Heard it with his own ears.

“This afternoon we have received the first official complaints of patients and their family members who do not wish to be treated by doctors or nurses that do not belong to their species. In addition…”

A hint of agitation had slipped into her voice. Salu did not know if it was because of the murmurings of the people around him in a response to her statement or because the complaints were foolish acts of racial discrimination.

“In addition, these patients do not wish to receive treatments based on antibodies derived from foreign bodies.”

The gestured her colleague to step forward. The Akrennian woman was about the same age, yet her voice sounded a little higher pitched. The crisp white of her medical tunic formed a sharp contrast with her reddish brown skin.

“While we have successfully developed a treatment that will significantly slow the disease’s progress in several species, we are only allowed to administer it to those who give their permission. If you have any concerns you will report this to your superior. No matter how difficult, we must honor these requests. Are there any questions?”

Several attendants raised their hands in response, upon which she picked the one closest to her.

“Yes?”

“What if the patient is on the verge of dying as a consequence?”

The Akrennian physician nodded.

“They must be made aware of the consequences. If they still refuse, we must respect that.”

“What if the patient is unconscious and cannot make the decision for themselves?”

“Then we must honor the decision made by their relatives.”

After these two questions, the number of raised hands dropped to a mere handful. Salu looked at Moa, who muttered something inaudible under her breath, her stare directed in front of her. During the time spent working with her, he had noticed the girl had a bit of a temper. When she had one of her mood swings the crankiness drew its lines on her face and her responses became snippy. Most of the time he needed few words to turn this around.

When no more questions had to be answered and the Vusstran doctor had laid out the next steps into finding a cure, they left the auditorium together with the other medical personnel. Unable to suppress a yawn, Salu covered his beak with his hand as he walked back to the lab to meet up with the team before turning in.

“This is ridiculous,” Moa hissed as she joined his side. “People are suffering from a serious illness, yet they refuse to be treated because of racial differences?”

“Does that make you angry?” was Salu’s calm response.

He had experience with these kinds of matters. Moa, having grown up in a much more tribal setting among members of her own race, did not. The soft clopping sound of her steps stopped echoing through the corridor. When he turned around, he made room for people to pass, to find a scowl on her pointy face. Throwing a strand of her long hair back, she grunted.

“Yes it does. We’ve only been at it for a day. And we’ve put a lot of effort into developing something that could help save lives. These people around us have been doing so for much longer. And then the people we’re trying to help are throwing it all back at us?”

Salu sighed.

“I understand how you feel. I would love to debate with you on this, but I’m feeling a bit tired and we have to keep our wits about us. I’ll tell you a bit more once we’re on our own. I hope you don’t mind that we’ll have to share sleeping quarters.”

The expression on her face softened as she flattened an ear, her shoulders relaxing somewhat as she stopped balling her hands.

“Does Freya mind that you share quarters with her onboard the _Myr’shala_?”

He smiled.

“So far I haven’t heard any complaints.”

“Then I’m fine with that.”

After wishing goodnight to Samesh, Ekli and Ryt, the two Mantrins retreated back into quarters that were meant for getting some much needed rest between busy work hours. The latter of the three was kind enough to provide each of them with a set of newly synthesized sleepwear.

Because these quarters were meant for naps and doctors on standby, there wasn’t much in the way of decoration. The two beds, separated by a large nightstand near the head end could extend in two dimensions and had been adjusted for their physiology, so at least they would spend the nights in relative comfort. The wall on the opposite side had a table and two seats. A single door offered access to a small bathroom, with all the necessary accessories to stay fresh. _“All in all, not that different from the Myr’shala_ , _”_ Salu thought, although the bathroom felt a little too cramped to get comfortable in.

Moa would have less trouble with it, but at least this wouldn’t be their apartment for the rest of their lives. After freshening up and a change of clothes, Salu sat down on the edge of his bed, and asked Cassandra, the helpful AI, to dim the large ring-shaped ceiling light to a minimum. The broad window offered a nightly view of the colony, the sky a colorful picture of stars and faraway nebulae. The other towers in view rose up like dark columns with only a few windows still lit here and there.

He saw Moa’s eyes glitter in the light of Hanaweya’s moons. She sat cross-legged on top of her bed, facing him at a slight angle, which was easy to spot because of her black muzzle tip. Having untied her tails, she let her long hair flow freely and was in the process of brushing it with long careful strokes. Her long prehensile tail with the plumed tip seemed to move in rhythm with each stroke. _“If Ryt hadn’t been a researcher first, she would’ve made an excellent nurse,”_ Salu thought. The Vusstran woman had tended to their needs in a meticulous way, also made possible by the ease of being able to synthesize simple items. He had to give her bonus points for the hairbrush though, given the fact that Vusstrans, like all Mantrins except Fjetanha, did not grow any hair on their bodies.

“You might’ve noticed, that outside of your tribe, not everyone gets along the way it should be,” he said after taking a slight breath, feeling that he had her attention. “This is not the same as getting into an argument with someone you just met. Or not liking someone because of their behavior or personality. It goes further.”

“But why?” she answered, continuing her brushing. “Why would someone’s outer appearance make them better or worse?”

“It does not,” Salu said. “But some people cherish a strong belief that their particular species is better than others. It’s not so much about physical characteristics as it is about being superior in every conceivable way. And so they start living by it. Treating others by it. As unequal.”

Moa scoffed.

“It’s ridiculous to refuse help that could save your life because of such ideas. Can’t we try to talk them out of it?”

Salu sighed.

“I wish it were that simple. These ideas are often so deeply rooted into a person that’s it’s almost impossible to cut it out. Whole generations grow up with the same ideas being taught by their parents and their parents before them.”

Ceasing the act of combing her hair, Moa put the brush down next to her on the bed. Resting her arms on top of her folded legs, she snorted.

“A person should be defined by their deeds and accomplishments. Not by what they look like.”

“Will you promise me, you won’t get mad for what I’m about to say next? I don’t mean to be offensive.”

In what little light available he could still see her flattening an ear. It was quiet for a few ticks before she responded.

“Okay,” was her slow and dragged out reply.

“Well, inequality, in certain terms might have been closer to you than you might think.”

“What do you mean?”

Salu wondered if he thought this through well enough. He did apologize in advance and he didn’t mean to offend her or Fjetanha culture in general. Now that they had touched the subject, he wanted to give the girl some food for thought. She seemed rather outraged by the existence of the concept of racial inequality after all.

“One could argue,” he said, being careful in his choice of words, “that the men of your tribe are not treated equal to women. Aren’t only the women allowed to hunt for example?”

As expected, she was hesitant in her reply. He could feel his own hearts starting the beat faster in a moment of hesitation. He was curious to find out how she would explain this.

“Yes. As is defined by law. It has always been this way. Or at least for many generations.”

“But, wouldn’t you agree that this goes against the rights of gender equality? Aren’t the women of your kind regarded as stronger than the men?”

“We _are_ physically stronger than the men. It’s a simple fact.”

Salu hummed in response. Other than strong-minded, Moa also happened to be pretty clever on occasion. Fjetanha were subject to extensive sexual dimorphism. He couldn’t argue with science, so he had to take a different approach.

“But… if a Fjetanha man was giving a hunting weapon and received training. Would he necessarily perform less than a woman, hypothetically speaking?”

The delay in response told him he struck something. He hoped it wasn’t a nerve. Then again, Moa was smart enough to understand that they were having a debate, not an argument. And it was her turn.

“N-no… Maybe. I-I don’t know. I guess not, but I’ve never seen a man hunt. We have the physical advantage. But it depends on skill.”

“Right. But don’t you agree, that Fjetanha men are treated unequal to women, because they are not given the same chances to prove themselves? Even if prescribed by law?”

“What’re you saying? I can’t change my people’s laws. M-Maybe you’re right. I don’t know.”

“ _Uiisa_ , Moa. I don’t want for your people to change their ways. I tried to explain to you this concept in a way so you would understand. Maybe it wasn’t a good example.”

“No, no. I think I get it, but… I have to think about it. I’ve never really thought of it this way. I always thought it was just the way things are.”

“Hmm, maybe we should continue this some other time.”

Agreeing with him, she moved the hairbrush from the bed to the top of the nightstand and flopped down on her back, leaving the blankets for what they were. Wiggling his toes inside the special covers that were meant to protect the bedding from the sharpness of his claws, Salu laid down on his left side facing the wall, noticing the tingling sensation in several muscle groups. After asking Cassandra to kill the lights, he pulled the blankets half over his chest, then tried to find a comfortable position for his tail by trial and error. Letting out a deep breath as his head sunk into the pillow, his thoughts went out to the crew of the _Myr’shala_. _What kind of new challenges would they face on their journeys in his and Moa’s absence?_

His right ear moved in response to the sudden rustle of sheets and a blanket as Moa tried to find her own position of comfort. The disturbance cut through the silence like a blade, his sharp hearing picking up very little other sounds in this part of the building. The very slight rush of air of the climate control system. The distant sound of muffled voices.

“I still think we should try to convince them to change their ways. It’s for their own good.”

“That’s… very commendable, Moa,” he replied while yawning. He had already started to give in to his body’s signals that it was time to rest. “You just might be able to make that difference.”

“Sleep well, Salu.”

“ _Hyami_. Sleep well, Moa.”

***

_What defines a parent?_

Certainly, they didn’t have to be the people who gave birth to you. Or look the same as you. Or even come from the same planet as you. It were these thoughts that went through Jacky’s mind as she flicked through the pictures on her personal communicator. Pictures of her parents. Pictures of herself when she was younger. Of her parent’s ship, and all the places they had visited as she grew from infant to teenage girl, ready to take on the whole galaxy. It were these pictures and the memories they held, that brought a smile to her beaked face.

The _Myr’shala_ followed a course straight back to Sogowa Prime to pick up another load of supplies to be hauled to another far-out colony that faced food and medical supply shortages due to a solar event that destroyed most of their equipment. A different kind of problem altogether, but one that required immediate attention, nonetheless. And so they had some time to waste in between as the ship crossed the vast distance between the outlying worlds and their home world which despite their upgraded drive systems still took a while.

The mess hall was not empty. Five of her crewmates played a popular card game at one of the other tables and had asked her to join. Thanking them for their offer, she had declined respectfully as she enjoyed her moment of privacy. Until the person which whom she felt the need to share that moment, entered the mess hall. Baika began smiling the moment they made eye contact. _Was she looking for her?_ She couldn’t help but greet her back the same way as her friend walked around the table to join her on the same side.

“Got nothing to do in the science lab?”

Plopping down on the pillow on her left, her friend and roommate let out a sigh and turned toward her.

“Nope. No one seems to have picked up any stray virus particles. Otherwise we wouldn’t even have left. Star maps are auto-updated as we move along, so nothing fancy. Same thing going on in engineering, I take it?”

Jacky nodded.

“Majih’s happy with the way she’s been running the past few days, so I’ve got some time to waste until we get home.”

“Happy memories?” Baika asked, nodding toward the device in her hand.

It’s screen was still on, showing the pictures she had been browsing through.

“Hmm, yeah. More than you know. I haven’t shown you pictures of my parents, right?”

Baika shook her head.

“Uh uh. But you told me a lot about them. Can I see?” Jacky knew where the initial hesitation came from. Her parents were humans. On the Academy she had never shown anyone else photos of her family and the ship on which she grew up, especially not after being called ‘weird’ a few times. Some of that anxiety stuck. But Baika tried so hard to understand her situation. It was time to show her the people among whom she grew up and whom she loved with both her hearts. “I’m being nosy again, am I?” she said with guilt in her voice, her ears lowering. “If you want to keep that to yourself, it’s okay.”

It seemed her moment of indecision was almost enough reason for Baika to apologize. But she smiled instead and shook her head.

“No, it’s all right. I wanna show you.” With a pair of taps, she activated the device’s holo-emitter and moved closer to her friend, having found the picture she was most fond of. The contents of the screen moved to a larger projection for easy sharing. “This is me with my _kharii_ and _hahme_ in front of their ship, the _Rising Star_.”

Judging by the size of the ship in the background, resting on her landing gear and with the loading ramps extended, the _Rising Star_ was a medium-sized freighter, capable of atmospheric flight and landing.

“Aww,” Baika cooed, shifting on her pillow to take a closer look.

The human woman had curly blonde hair down to her shoulders, a small nose and smiling mouth set in a kind face with round cheeks. Her husband wasn’t much taller than she was. His skin was a tad browner in color and his jet black hair was cut shorter but almost as curly. He smiled too.

They appeared small, although that could also be because the young woman in the middle had her muscular arms draped over their shoulders. Her parents both had one arm wrapped around their daughter’s back. While Jacky and her father wore beige cargo pants and a black t-shirt, her mother wore a white doctor’s coat. All three of them proudly wore the patch of their ship on their left chest.

“It’s so cute how you’re so big compared to them. Your _hahme_ looks so sweet. And your _kharii_ looks like a great guy. I understand why you love them.”

“Uh-huh. I owe them so much. They raised me. Taught me everything I needed to know. It could’ve been so much worse. I could’ve ended up with slavers.”

Jacky smiled again when she looked at the picture.

“My _hahme_ ’s name’s Grace. She’s the ship’s doctor. My _kharii_ ’s an engineer. His name’s Robert, or Rob for short. But I just call them ‘mom’ and ‘dad’. They love it when I call them that, especially my mom.”

“That’s English, right?”

“Hm-hm. Guess I taught you something.” She sighed. “I… I miss them sometimes. After I left for the Academy, I never saw them again. Physically at least.”

Baika’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened.

“You’ve never seen you parents again after you left?”

“No, but we do text and sent each other pictures,” she shook the device in a playful manner. “It all has to go through civilian channels though. Sometimes if we’re really lucky we can talk to each other if we’re both in range of a comm. relay. But that’s rare. They’re always on the move too.”

“Do they own the ship?” Baika asked.

“They own part of the ship. The crew’s a group of people who bought the ship together. They have contracts with several large shipping companies. Payout happens per job. It’s a way of life, like we always used to say.”

She was still a bit surprised by how fast she had grown to like Baika in the short time they’d spent on the _Myr’shala_. Her curious nature certainly had something to do with it. It made her not only a good talker, but a good listener as well. She always seemed to have her full attention. The only thing she regretted was not getting to know her sooner. She would’ve been a better support than some of the other trainees she’d been forced to work with on occasion.

“Full Constellation! I win again.”

The cheer that was Itan’s voice thundered through the mess hall and was not followed by the same enthusiasm from his tablemates.

“Again?” Weyan responded, his voice full of disbelief, throwing his own cards on the table.

Syrran, Itan’s roommate decided to start a tease.

“I don’t believe it. You cheater.”

“I didn’t cheat,” Itan grunted, tapping the holo-pad placed roughly in the center of their playing field, which they used to keep track of the score.

“Oh, you expect us to believe you have that much luck or skill?” Nami quipped, her long plumed tail moving with short flicks as she crossed her arms.

She was the only woman sharing the table but didn’t let herself be intimidated by the four men around her.

“Another round, I want revenge,” Thylun demanded.

Jacky noticed how Itan continued to smile, enjoying his top spot. Maybe it was time to dethrone him.

“Waddaya say?” she asked Baika. “See if we can beat him?”

“All right,” Baika agreed. Switching off her comm’s screen, Jacky pocketed it, then let her crewmates know she wanted to accept their earlier offer. As she and Baika got up, she noticed her friend wasn’t as confident as she was. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Jacky grinned.

“Trust me. I’ve gotten pretty good during my Academy years.”

***

The soft clops of Moa’s feet on any type of hard flooring was a sound Salu had already been trained to recognize from afar. This time it sounded louder than usual, which told him something did not go entirely okay. Now that the first willing patients were being treated to resist the virus in its early stages, their team had moved to one of the larger labs, to assist in the development of the cure and the vaccine. Moa had been asked to assist with patient care and it sounded like she had met with frustration.

Every single tower was equipped with a main computer core offering plenty of processing power for their facilities and for Cassandra’s AI functions to support the needs of its inhabitants. It also allowed the AI to cross-operate between buildings. The Avalon tower, due to it holding the largest medical facility, was provided with secondary processing nodes and it wasn’t hard to understand why.

The computer systems could handle the vast majority of tasks, such as running the complex simulations required for devising effective methods to combat the virus. This still required an enormous amount of computing power due to the unfathomable amount of possible combinations of compounds that could lead to an effective countermeasure. It also still required scientists to gather samples to test the real world effects of a simulation’s outcome. They worked various large pieces of machinery and analysis stations in groups.

Salu, together with Hra’cihr, a member of an avian race called the Or’hannan, swapped out a rack of dozens of test tubes in a simulator when he heard Moa making his way toward him.

“I’m starting a new run,” the alien with the buzzard-like appearance said with a deep calm voice.

A glossy plumage, brown with white spots. Intense yellow eyes set in a pointy face with a sharp hooked beak. He walked on a pair of mighty clawed feet and his height of about two steps and the large folded wings on his back gave him a majestic stature. His arms were of average muscularity and ended in powerful hands with sharp claws that mirrored his feet, aside from being smaller.

Despite being fierce protectors of their realm and having the appearance of an aerial predator, the Or’hannan were also known as great knowledge seekers. Expanding their knowledge and sharing it with other civilizations they had become a more common sight around the galaxy.

“Your… pupil does not look happy,” he added with a frown.

In the time it took Salu to turn toward the sound of her feet, the girl stood before him, the exact same expression on her face as the day before after the meeting.

“Moa, I--”

“When you’re told there’re people out there who don’t wanna accept your help because of what you look like, I had trouble believing it.”

She couldn’t keep the light tremble out of her voice. Her vivid orange eyes sparkled, and her tail lashed like a living whip.

“But to hear them say it your face is just… _errww!_ ”

Ignoring the looks of her colleagues, the girl stomped past him and disappeared into the adjacent break room. Salu sighed. He had faced the difficulty of what she had to deal with. It was all too common, but for someone who wasn’t used to such levels of racial discrimination, the behavior of some individuals must come across as shocking. Ryt, who had been working on a different station with Samesh and Ekli shot him a worried look.

“She’s not really my pupil,” he said, looking at the doors through which she disappeared. “But at moments like these it’s hard not to think of her that way. I better go after her.”

Hra’cihr made a low scratching noise that came from deep within his throat. Salu didn’t know what that meant, but the Or’hannan’s accompanying words were compassionate.

“She is still learning, isn’t she? It seems that she is in need of your guidance.”

After nudging with one of his wings, Salu went after her. He figured he could at least try to make her feel better. She wouldn’t have done anything wrong and it wasn’t her fault that people were this way.

He found her slumped in a desk chair at one of two tables. Besides the necessary appliances to provide anyone looking for a break in-between all the hard work with snacks and beverages of various sorts, the room offered a number of seats in different styles to appeal to a large number of different species. She hadn’t picked one of the floor pillows though and with her legs stretched forward and arms crossed she stared into a corner of the room. When he entered, she flicked an ear and looked at him, surprising him with the amount of anger trying to show on her face, while keeping her voice down to a normal volume.

“I was only trying to help. They don’t even know me. I’m aware that our relationship with the Akrennians is ‘shaky’ at best. And you told me that humans and Mantrins on Solbrecht have some trouble getting along. But it’s like they blame me for things that happened to them in the past. An Akrennian woman started a rant about the death of her mate and some human man called me a stupid kangaroo or something and just told me to buzz off.”

Salu sighed. With all her good intentions, she jumped into the fray and it sounded like she took the full brunt of it and didn’t come out unscathed.

“Racism is a disease that claims many. I know you’re trying really hard to change their minds, but don’t feel too bad about it. Our own regulations prevent us from treating patients against their will. Many civilizations uphold a series of ethics that go back eons and they are remarkably similar to each other in their way of prescribing how a healer should treat his patients. For example, the human Hippocratic Oath is not unlike our _Thai’rath Ohinn_ , the Code of Healers.”

Moa snorted.

“I just don’t understand why these people are like this. You’d expect new world colonists to go through some sort of psychiatric profile evaluation when going through the selection process. There are _children_ on those wards. Children who are ill. Who understand this whole racial thing about as much as I did before you explained it to me. But it’s their parents who decide how they get treated. They should be overruled.”

“I think,” Salu responded, unfastening the push buttons of his tunic, “I haven’t really shown you this before.”

Opening up one flap of the white uniform, he revealed the black tattoo that adorned his golden brown skin on the left side of his chest. It was a collection of smaller symbols connecting to a larger one in the center.

“I saw it when we changed clothes. I assumed it was just some family crest.”

“Partially correct,” Salu responded. “This.” He put the tip of his index finger on the center symbol. “This one you know.”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “That’s the symbol of the _Thai’rath Ohinn_.”

“Correct. The one above it…” He pointed at the one at the top, which was larger than the others in the ring, but smaller than the one in the center. “This is the crest of my family. My bloodline. It dates back many generations. To before the colonization of Solbrecht. The other symbols represent the other family bloodlines that swore to abide by the rules of the _Thai’rath Ohinn_. Wearing this tattoo means that I am bound by it. It also forbids me to treat anyone against their will.”

“I… understand.”

Her ears lowered in what he assumed was disappointment. He knew she was inclined to disagree, but also realized there wasn’t much she could do about it. At least not more than she already tried.

“Attention all personnel,” a female voice sounded over the internal comm system. “Medical ship _Hygara_ has just arrived. We will be receiving additional personnel momentarily. Please give them a warm welcome.”

“Well, it was about time,” Salu said. “This might take off some of the pressure, even though were not there yet.”

Pushing herself back on her legs with force, the chair rolling backwards on its wheels and hitting another one in the process, she balanced on her legs and stretched her back.

“I’ll try to keep all of that in mind. Excuse me. I’m going back up. I got angry but… that’s no reason to keep me from doing my job. I’ll leave the difficult patients for someone else.”

Fastening the push buttons of his doctor’s uniform, Salu responded with soft grunt.

“Be careful up there. The virus is mutating rapidly, and we have discovered that it’s airborne transmission capability might have increased.”

She nodded.

“Don’t worry. I got my mask.”

***

Before leaving the elevator, that took her up one level, Moa retrieved her mask out of her pocket. The device was far more sophisticated than it appeared at first. Holding what looked like a simple air filtration mask to the tip of her beak, a full transparent cover began to materialize from the edges and proceeded to cover her entire face. Being able to adapt to the facial structure of the wearer it created a close-to-perfect seal while making it easy to perform their duties, as opposed to an airtight body suit with its own air supply.

Stepping out of the cabin, she made her way to the ring-shaped walkway with the airlocks that separated it from the wards. It was then that she noticed that something wasn’t right. The hatch on her side of the nearest lock was open, but it seemed no one was there. Or was there?

Her ears flicked in response to the loud whisper of someone hushing. Moving forward with slow steps, trying to let her hoof-like feet make as little noise as possible, she kept scanning her surroundings until she reached the next junction.

“Someone’s coming! C’mon, you’ve hacked the first door without tripping security.” “I know. We gotta do something. I--”

Muffled coughing accompanied the agitated whispers. She had hadn’t dared to peek around the corner yet and wondered what this was all about. Whoever they were, it was evident they were not supposed to be on this level. _And they’re hacking the airlock doors? Why would anyone want to do that?_ And then she remembered the strange rumors that were being spread among the colonists. That some of them didn’t believe the virus was real. That it was all some kind of hoax so the management could exert more control over the citizens. _I can’t let this happen._

“Stop coughing, you idiot!”

“Sorry man, I think I’m coming down with something. I don’t know. This thing might be real after all. I don’t feel right.”

“Shaddup and do your thing. We almost got it. It’s time to get your brother and my dad outta there.”

Tensing her muscles, Moa didn’t know what to prepare for, but she did. She had to put a stop to it now before they hacked into more sensitive systems. Tapping her wristcom, she brought it closer to the masked tip of her beak.

“Moa to Avalon security. We’ve got a situation on ‘The Ring’, section 4A. Someone’s hacking into the airlock systems. Get to my location now!”

“Copy that, units are on their way.”

Feeling bolder by the tick, because she knew lives were at stake if she did nothing, she stepped around the corner, tail lashing and her claws extending a little further. She could hardly believe people were willing to go this far to prove something.

“You’re not supposed to be here!” she grunted, taking in the scene in front of her.

There were three of them, all wearing casual shirts and shorts. None of them wore the standard issue blue Tyche project work gear. The plump one with the single large horn on his head was a Rutani. He urged along a brown-skinned Akrennian that was rather small for his species to do whatever he was doing on a small holo-pad. The thing was that while guessing their age she concluded that they were barely more than teenagers. The third one was the odd one, and not just because she had trouble telling what gender he or she was. Zehk’tha were a rare breed among the colonists and not without reason.

The large reptilians had ended their crusade against whoever they came across only a few dozen solar cycles ago. Having the appearance of a big bipedal Komodo dragon, the creatures were still inherently aggressive, and their great strength made them excel in work environments where brute force was the answer. For a moment her instinct told her that she was female, even though the name the Rutani used to encourage her didn’t really lean toward either gender.

“Get her Nesh’rhuk!”

The huge swamp green alien didn’t hesitate for a moment. Spreading her legs, which were about as muscular as her own, if not more so, the shiny black claws that curved out of her feet scratched over the composite floor. Raising her bulky arms, the same series of deadly weapons that extended from the fingers of her scaly hands glittered in the overhead lights. Nesh’rhuk’s long split tongue slithered out of her mouth like a snake, before she opened it to reveal rows of sharp. Something told Moa she would better try not to get scratched or bitten, but if it came to that, she would at least not be far away from a doctor.

Nesh’rhuk charged. It was like a combination between a dash and a jump and considering her size, her speed was astonishing. Moa countered by jumping away from her previous spot, preparing to show just how powerful a Mantrin’s kick truly was. Nesh’rhuk was ferocious, continuing to bare her needle-sharp teeth, her clawed hands slashing empty air for now. The Zehk’tha woman, at least Moa still assumed she was female, was well aware of the danger that her legs posed and tried to stay out of range.

At least her mask still made it easy for her to breathe, because the rate at which she drew breath had accelerated and she could feel the beat of her hearts doing the same.

“You better give up! Security’s coming.”

Tossing her long hair back over her shoulder, she prepared for another charge as the alien hissed with anger, her yellow eyes focusing on possible angles of attack. It was also the first time she said something in response.

“Fffeeling brave, little one?”

Nesh’rhuk’s next attack was as swift as lightning, enhanced by her initial feint. Moa felt her foot hit hard muscle as she retaliated in the general direction of the alien’s stomach, and therefore exposing her right leg. Her mask dampened her shout as a series of hard natural blades ripped through her pants and the soft flesh underneath. Blood soaked the white fabric of her pants and judging by the amount of the pain and the trouble she had standing on it, the cuts were deep.

The Zehk’tha woman stumbled back, dropping to one knee as she clamped her stomach, hissing loudly, slimy strings of saliva flying from her mouth as she coughed.

“You better stop now,” Moa growled through clenched teeth. “You’re only making things worse.”

“No!” the Rutani yelled, holding something in his hand, which he raised above his head. “We just wanna get our family back. You’re not stopping us. Sehkirr! Airlock! Now!”

The small Akrennian frantically tapped his holo-pad as his cough seemed to worsen by the minute. Moa suspected he was already infected with the virus and now formed a risk to all of them. It was safe to assume that his friends were already carrying the disease too, which made her worry even more about her wounded leg.

“I’ve got it!”

With a soft hiss the door of the nearest airlock opened, exposing the inner ring to possible virus particles. Some of the overhead lights turned red and an alarm went off. Recoiling because of the sudden noise, the Rutani almost dropped whatever he held in his hand, which she began to suspect was some kind of grenade.

Her ears flicked, triggered by the sound of several pairs of footsteps coming from behind. Some of the steps sounded much heavier and more metallic and when she turned around a security team of three had come to her, accompanied by two humanoid robots. _Enforcers_. Although these models seemed equipped for the security job they were assigned to, they could also be fitted to serve as full-fledged soldiers. Their presence alone made most people think twice about resisting.

As she stepped aside to let the security team handle the case, she noticed how both units assessed the situation by the movements of the eye-like sensors in the head, their limited AI making the decision not to point their large rifles just yet. The ‘biological’ officers were a human, a Mantrin and an Indarian, the latter being the squad’s leader. The voice of the foxlike creature with its fur coat in white and gray had an irritated edge to it and sounded muffled behind the mask he and his colleagues had put on as a precaution.

“You two! Place whatever that is in your hands in the floor, slowly.”

“N-no, we just wanna get our family outta there,” the Rutani retorted.

“I said drop it! I’m not messing around. You’re exposing people to unnecessary danger.”

Nesh’rhuk seemed the only one capable of making the right decision as she raised her hands in defeat. The Rutani however began to shake all over his body, unwilling to give up. Each moment of hesitation drained the Indarian’s patience though, which he didn’t seem to have a large supply of. As the furred alien pointed his rifle, the Rutani dropped object which rolled toward them and looked like a small orb with blinking lights.

Moa heard several shouts but didn’t understand a word in the panic that erupted. Her own instincts told her to turn around and run, which she did. She saw the members of the security force stumble backwards. She heard the sound and saw the flash of at least one weapon being discharged. The Enforcers responded as fast as their mechanical bodies allowed, jumping forward and assuming a brace position to protect Moa and the team.

There was a bright flash. A rush of air that seemed to aid her in her attempt to escape before the splitting pain her ears made her forget about her leg. Losing her balance, she saw the floor coming at her in a blur before everything turned black.


	6. Signs of Things to Come

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

# Chapter 6 Signs of Things to Come

“Help! Someone help me!” Voices. Voices in the dark. Her surroundings were vague, but her best guess was the middle of a forest. At night, for she couldn’t see well and what little pale light there was came from above. The tall objects looked like the trunks of trees and as her legs carried her to the source of the voices that echoed all around her, her legs and arms were struck by branches and leaves as she ran. “Help me!”

“I’m coming!” she yelled back.

These survival challenges were difficult. They sometimes took place over the span of several days and the amount of tools they were allowed to take with them were limited. The beating of her hearts. Her controlled breathing. Her well-trained body and disciplined mind worked together in unison to keep up the speed at which she moved, which was several steps per tick. She figured she moved in the right direction as the voices became louder and because of the echoes she became more and more convinced that it was only one person in distress.

“Moa, help me!”

 _How does that person know my name? Did he or she recognize the sound of my voice?_ The thinning roof of the forest and growing distance between the trunks allowed her to increase her speed even more. Her hoof-like feet were excellent for running, the moss-covered soil dampening the noise of her beating steps as she seemed to fly. _Almost there._

“Moa!”

She was almost on top of the other survivalist when she came to a scraping halt as she spotted a Mantrin figure. Huddled against a tree she couldn’t see him or her well, but the voice sounded female and familiar.

“I’m here,” she said between two breaths. “Are you injured?”

The light of two moons brightened the face of the other person as she approached, giving her skin a gray tone. A black beak, like all members of her tribe. Long hair bond together in two tails. In a moment of shock she realized she was looking at herself.

“Help me, Moa!” the girl whimpered.

_What the…_

With a shout she jolted upward. The scene did not fade in front of her eyes until she had taken the time to focus on her real surroundings. And even then, it hung in the back of her mind, solidifying into a memory, until she came to the conclusion that it was. It _was_ a memory. She _had_ experienced these events before. But the victim had been a friend of hers. A member of her tribe.

Rubbing her stinging eyes with the palms of sweaty hands, the shock caused by the strange dream paled into insignificance when she began to realize where she was. White sheets. The smell of cleaning agents and medicine. The occasional beeps, chimes and whirring of equipment. If her shout hadn’t woken those with enough strength left in their bodies up already, the soft groan that escaped her mouth let them know who to blame.

The three teens in the corridor trying to hack the airlock doors. The security team. The Rutani dropping the device in his hand. The explosion. The fall. It all came back slow and out of order. The throbbing pain in her head and the stinging in her ears she could link to these events. The tickling in her throat that soon made her cough and the sweat that soaked the sheets around her, she could not.

“It’s all right, dear. Take a few deep breaths.”

The voice of the person sitting upright in the bed on her left sounded warm and caring. A woman of her own kind. Sogowan race. Tilting her head, she looked straight into a pair of copper-colored eyes that held a twinkle despite the situation they were in.

“No, no I cannot be here. I _cannot_ be here.” She let herself fall back into her pillow, strangely appreciating how it felt cold and moist because of the way her skin seemed to glow with fever. Enforcing her will upon her aching muscles, she grabbed the sheets and tossed them aside, feeling her legs drip with sweat. Her hair was wet and sticky, and her tongue felt like a piece of leather inside her dry mouth. The subdermal IV line attached to her arm did nothing to remedy that. “How long have I been here?” she croaked, trying to suppress her cough.

“About a day,” the woman answered. “That blast shook everyone awake.”

“I really want some water,” she said.

“Tap that big blinking button on your right and the bots will be happy to bring you just about anything.”

Straining her neck, to find a control panel within reach, she hit the call button and also tapped one of the arrow buttons to tilt her bed into the same upright position as her companion’s. This ward was all too familiar. She had treated several patients here.

To avoid incidents, they had started separating patients by species and spreading them over the available rooms. Of the twelve beds in total, nine were occupied, seven of those by Mantrins including herself. That was the current occupation according to her last count as a nurse, because now as a patient herself she didn’t feel like finding out if that had changed.

The beds were divided in two groups of six with plenty of space in between for the necessary equipment to keep the severe cases under control. A few patients were attached to ventilators as they had too much trouble breathing on their own. Her bed was the middle of three, facing ‘The Ring’, the ward forming but a small section of the building’s outer wall and so she faced three other beds on the opposite side. The overhead lights were dimmed to a minimum and judging by the amount of light coming from behind through the dimmable windows, it had to be somewhere in the morning.

 _“This can’t be happening_ , _”_ she thought, finding it difficult not to give in to her misery as the thought sunk in.

“How can I be of service?”

She almost yelped when the hovering serving bot appeared right in front of her. Not because the sleek white machine’s female voice was loud or annoying. But because its antigrav systems were so quiet and she felt so woozy that she hadn’t heard or seen it coming. With its rounded body parts, silver rectangular serving tray and friendly electronic eyes it seemed ready to fulfill her every need and she almost felt sorry that the first thought that crept into her mind was to yell at it.

“Just a glass of water.”

Thinking of the device as a ‘she’ rather than an ‘it’, she added ‘please’ when she noticed the hesitation, which the droid explained to her in the same kind voice.

“My records indicate that you have not eaten anything since you arrived here. Would you like to see a menu?”

Although she also felt like throwing up, she was more than aware that eating was the best way to keep up her strength, which had dissipated much quicker than she had anticipated. Her body was now resisting the virus to the best of its natural abilities and with the aid of the antibody therapy.

“Let’s start with some fruit. Anything is fine.”

“Coming right up.”

The serving bot turned around and accelerated toward the room’s exit, disappearing through a separate pair of automatic doors at eye level, large enough for it to fit through. Squeezing her eyes shut, noticing how they burned a little and felt teary, she heaved a sigh.

“You’re Moa, right?”

The woman’s voice shook her out of whatever train of thought she was about to enter.

“Y-Yeah. That’s my name,” she replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she looked at her. “ _Uiisa_ , I know your name. It’s just--”

“It’s fine. It’s Owynn.” Of course. Owynn hadn’t been here so long herself. They had only met on the morning before the incident. Another child of Solbrecht. One of the few details about her life that she felt like sharing. Middle-aged, a bit smaller than average for her race. Her skin’s lighter spots did not deviate much compared to the mocha brown base color and her elliptical ears were large and rounded in shape. Brought in a couple of days ago with high initial fever, she seemed to be doing better than when they first met. Pushing herself to a more straight up position, Owynn smiled. “You’ll feel better when you’ve eaten something. They patched you up pretty well, considering what you’ve been through. There’s a barely a bruise left.”

Moa’s patience wasn’t put to the test, even though she was on the lookout to avoid being startled again. The serving bot reappeared before her, electronic eyes smiling. The contents of the serving tray were as she ordered, a bowl of mixed fruit in edible pieces, a glass of water and a fork and napkin. The extra items were a brush tablet and rinsing cup. Although those weren’t the first things that sprung to mind, it was a welcome thought, given the way her mouth tasted.

“Please hold still.”

Knowing from her experience as a nurse, she knew what was about to happen. An overbed table materialized from an emitter on the right side of her bed to form a solid surface. After lowering the tray onto it, the bot moved backwards and bowed its pill-shaped head in a polite gesture.

“Enjoy your meal. Is there anything more I can do for you?”

“ _Hyami_ ,” Moa said, leaving the fork for what it was, having used the claw of her index finger to pick a piece of yellow fruit from the bowl and bringing it halfway to her mouth. “I’m okay. It looks great.”

“All right. Have a nice day. Remember, I’m at your service at the touch of a button.”

From the moment that first piece of fruit released its sweet juice inside her dry mouth, the fever, her aching muscles and dizziness all faded to the background. Taking a big gulp of water before diving into the rest, she was surprised at how rejuvenating it felt.

“Slow down,” Owynn laughed, as Moa began gobbling up the contents of the bowl.

She was so occupied with eating that she failed to notice the other person entering the room until he was about two steps away from her bed. The transparent parts of the mask left enough of Salu’s face to be recognized. Although his mouth was covered by the filter part, she was sure he smiled behind it, the way his cobalt blue eyes, which were very unusual for his race, expressed his usual kindness. His ears however seemed to hover at a more horizontal position, and she began to wonder what went through his mind.

“Good, at least you’re eating. Keep your strength up.”

Chewing on three pieces at the same time, she looked at him, her mind a little slow to respond as she swallowed.

“You don’t have to break it to me. I know I’ve got the virus. Don’t feel too good, but it could be worse.”

She heard him sigh. Knowing him by now, it was a good guess that he rushed to her location as soon as the news of the incident reached his ears.

“Your mask was damaged when you fell. One of those guys you ran into, the Akrennian, had already passed the first stages of the disease. His reckless behavior contaminated several others including his friends.”

“Are they?”

Salu nodded.

“Everyone’s still alive, including the members of the security team. Had to stun that Zehk’tha woman, for she was about to escape. The Rutani is being closely monitored as he’s about to be charged for possession of illegal arms, _if_ he makes it. Security is still looking into the matter. It’s unclear how he came in the possession of a shock grenade in the first place. I was told they sometimes get the parts separately and then put it together to get it past the inspections.”

“That’s great and all but,” she said as she pierced one of the remaining pieces of fruit with a claw, “what happened to me? How did I get here?”

“They found you unconscious. Apart from a few scratches, your injuries were minor, though you did hit your head. You might be experiencing mild concussion symptoms, like nausea and dizziness on top of the virus infection. You’ve been given medication so those will subside soon. The fever is a good thing. Means your body’s fighting back against the virus. Keep that up.”

“I know. Any progress whatsoever?”

“Several simulation results look promising. We’re working on it as hard as we can. You just need to hold on, whatever happens. Promise me that, Moa.”

He did sound sincere and she knew Salu wasn’t the one to just say anything to make a person feel better. As a doctor he couldn’t give his patients false hope by distorting the truth. She also detected the worried undertone in his voice. It would still take time to finish the actual cure. He knew that. She knew that.

“‘Course I won’t give up. In fact, before this… _thing_ happened, I was thinking. Can’t we use nanobots to kill this virus? I think I heard one of the researchers talk about this.”

“Hmm. We’ve been considering solutions in that direction, but that won’t prevent reinfection unless we manage to destroy _all_ the virus particles. We won’t able to replicate and program enough nanobots to do that, but we might use them to slow the progression rate.”

She tried her best not to make Salu feel worried, though she figured her body language did it for her. Just keeping her head up to look at him seemed to cost a lot of effort, making her neck muscles feel sore. Her eyelids still felt like they had weights attached to them even though she had slept for some time.

“Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Owynn interjected, her voice still having that caring undertone. “I believe we haven’t met. I’m Owynn.”

“Salu. Glad to see she’s making friends already.”

“Ehm, Salu? I eh… I need to go.”

“Ah, yes. Can you stand?”

The way she flung her long legs, which felt cold from the residual sweat, over the edge of the bed looked promising. When she pushed herself up, she realized how weak her muscles had become in such a short time. Her trembling legs felt like they had trouble carrying her weight. Her light blue gown felt moist and cold, enough to make her shiver. Her long tail was like a strengthless rope, dragging over the sheet as she took her fist wobbling steps, until it dropped to the floor. Even though it felt like gravity had increased threefold in her experience, she managed to force a smile. Salu stepped aside to make room for her, watching her every move, ready to catch her if she fell.

“Don’t worry, I got this,” she grunted, concentrating very hard on the simple act of walking, the strain drawing its lines on her face as she clenched her teeth. _At least the bathroom is around the corner._

***

“Ship’s log, Raeth, House of Meztar. It’s been two days since we left Hanaweya II and the _Myr’shala_ has arrived on the colony of Benthar IV where a recent solar flare destroyed much of their sensitive equipment. Having picked up additional food and medical supplies, we’ll provide the colonists with the means to get things up and running again and make sure they don’t run out of basic necessities.”

Lending them the strength of their muscles, Raeth and Jirro had joined with several of the crew in the ship’s cargo bays, distributing containers over antigrav loaders to transport them to the colony’s warehouses. Another routine job, but crucial for the survival of another group of colonists.

“I still don’t understand how that girl did it,” Itan grumbled, lowering the last of a batch of containers on top of a loader together with his roommate.

“How long are you gonna go on about that?” Syrran laughed. “She kicked your butt fair and square at your own game. The rest of us couldn’t do it so that deserves some respect.”

Annoyed as he was, Itan snorted.

“She was in league with Baika. They were setting me up.”

Catching part of the conversation, Raeth couldn’t resist taking part. He was glad to find out through these little small talks that his crew was bonding. Through their work, by making conversation or by playing games together in their spare time.

“Am I hearing this right? Did that girl beat ya at a game of cards?”

“I’m not sure how she did it, but I’m not convinced. I’m gonna keep an eye on those two from now on.”

Muttering inaudible under his breath, Itan grabbed the handles of the loader and started pushing it in the direction of the lowered ramp. Freya had put the _Myr’shala_ down near Benthar IV’s main compound as the first rays of its sun peeking over the sharp-edged mountain ridges in the distance. Going through a colder period of its elliptical orbit, the occasional gust of a chilled breeze blew through the open bay, flakes of snow forming droplets on the deck plating. Even in this kind of weather, the temperature-regulating qualities of the Imperial Guard uniform didn’t give Raeth so much as a shiver, the physical activity keeping the blood pumping through his exposed feet and hands. The ship was also parked right next to the warehouse entrance.

“Everything okay, Jetreycka?” he asked, catching an empty loader returned by one of the colonists.

She nodded with a flick of her ear, the piece of jewelry that pierced its lobe jingling. She and Baika walked around the bay with handheld scanners, which were linked to the ship’s sensor array to monitor the effects of the flare event. On their approach, radiation levels seemed to be in the safe zone, but with the Benthar star going through one of its active periods, they were on the lookout for early warning signs that might indicate additional flares.

“We’re in the clear. This star has shown periods of heightened activity in the past. I’ve had a chat with members of the science and engineering departments. They’ve already strengthened their shields so they can take another flare like the last one without problems.”

“All right. Keep an eye out.”

“Ehm, Raeth? We just received a recorded message from Salu. It’s directed at you. Should be accessible on your wrist.”

“ _Hyami._ ”

 _Probably a status report. Hope they’re getting somewhere._ Leaving the loader for what it was, he walked toward an empty corner to stay out of everyone’s way and tapped his wristcom to bring up its holographic interface. The audiovisual message was a little over one millicycle in duration and marked as urgent. For a tick he was struck by an unpleasant feeling, but since there was only one way to find out he hit the virtual play button.

A miniature version of Salu popped up above the emitter. Due to it being a recording, the resolution was high enough to see the worry on his face, which seeped into his voice as he began to speak.

“Raeth, I’m afraid there’s been an incident. Due to the growing unrest around the whole situation here people are acting irrational. There have been two major incidents of violence. One of them involves Moa.”

Salu paused, swallowing as he tried to find the right words. While he listened, Raeth lost both eyes and ears for everything that happened around him. The amount of effort it cost for Salu, an experienced physician, to express himself did not bode well.

“She… She tried to stop people from breaking into the quarantine wards. One of them had a weapon, and although her injuries were minor, she contracted the virus as her mask was damaged when she fell. Raeth… we’ve got everyone working on this and we’ve got promising simulation results for a cure. Other than that, some people seem to recover on their own after a period of severe illness, but it’s a small percentage. Before you decide to turn the ship around, there’s no point, for we still gotta beat this thing here. I will not stop until I’ve found that cure. I promise.”

Although he was sure she hadn’t been eavesdropping, Jetreycka still came toward him after his foot struck the deck with a loud thump, and his thick tail shortly thereafter. With one ear flattened, leaving her scanner for what it was, the look on her face was one of genuine concern.

“Is everything all right?”

“No, Jetreycka,” he answered, only then realizing he clenched his teeth. “It’s not all right. It’s not right at all.”

***

In the days following her hospitalization, Moa did not spend all of her time in lying in bed. The more severe initial symptoms such as the fever and bad cough disappeared for the most part after three days, leaving only her loss of appetite and fatigue to complain about. The first thing she solved by force-feeding herself, knowing it was best. She fought the fatigue by trying to stick to a day-night rhythm to the best of her abilities and allowing herself one extra period of sleep during the day. This began to feel like something she could work with.

While putting in every bit of effort to keep her body’s strength up, which even included some light exercise, she began following the news. Not just the occasional incidents around the raised quarantine level, as the number of infected colonists had still risen at an alarming rate since the first measures to contain the threat, but also the various galactic channels available for viewing.

Painful as it was, she saw patients come. She watched patients leave. Patients that had been under her care mere days ago. Few of them recovered on their own after a long struggle that brought them to the very edge between life and death. Others weren’t so fortunate.

What made the whole thing a little more tolerable were the occasional visits of Salu and Ryt, and Owynn being such a good small-talker. From trivial chit-chat such as the amount of mucus they had produced during sick time up till that moment, to more serious matters like the challenges of today’s universe and the incredible changes the galaxy was undergoing at a rapid rate under the influence of technological progress. Even some of the other patients on their ward liked to join in now and then.

Dangers lurked around every corner in the great void that surrounded them all. Wars were being fought. Pirates plundered and pillaged. Events, both natural and artificial were the cause of food- and supply shortages. On the other hand, alliances were formed between civilizations in the pursuit of knowledge, to improve their technology and take on the mission of creating a prosperous life for all beings.

“It’s because it lacks character,” was Owynn’s answer to their current topic about synthesized food. “You can have something on your plate in the time it takes to say, ‘I'm hungry’. But it’s bland and boring. It makes every dish taste like what a computer thinks it’s supposed to taste like. Real flavor comes from fresh ingredients, and the hearts and soul of those skilled enough to master their potential. I think it was my only real demand for signing up for this colony project. Fresh food.”

Shifting her position in bed with a groan, Owynn tried to massage the stiffness out of her neck and shoulders.

“Can’t say I disagree,” Moa said, sipping from a glass of water to suppress the ever-present tickle in her throat.

For the remainder of that day their conversations between meals and periods of rest shifted between light and heavy topics. One of Owynn’s favorites seemed to be philosophizing about the current political climate of Solbrecht and Sogowa Prime and the future of both worlds, the way things were going. Moa didn’t know if she agreed with every single one of Owynn’s viewpoints, but even her newfound friend agreed that their differences of opinion were a good miniaturized example of the bigger picture. A one-hundred percent satisfaction score was unachievable. Compromises had to be made.

“I think I’m gonna turn in,” Moa said, not even bothering to suppress the yawn that followed. Hanaweya’s sun had made room for its moons and the ward’s lights were dimmed to a comfortable level for sleeping. “See you tomorrow Owynn. Sleep well everyone.”

Her mind had drifted off even before the bed had lowered to the flat sleeping position, the replies of her companions sounding distant, fading in the background of soft chimes, beeps, the whirring of ventilators and the slight rush of the air filtering systems.

***

“No, Moa. I need to… talk to her.”

At first, Moa thought she woke up from a dream. A dream similar to the one she had the first night she had spent here. Someone calling her name. Calling for help. Feeling disoriented, it took her foggy brain a few ticks to realize it was not a dream. The voice belonged to a real person and came from her left.

“We need to stabilize her first. She’s delirious. Give her ten cc’s!”

“Ventilator’s ready to take over breathing functions. On your mark.”

“No, there’s something I need to-- Moa!”

Now it sounded more like a shout. Feeling her hearts skipping a beat, she shot straight up, trying to focus on what was happening around her. Three doctors of different species surrounded Owynn’s bed and only that section of the overhead lights had turned on. Her vision blurry, she could distinguish the white- and gray fur coat of an Indarian. She knew her as one of the doctors whom she had worked with. Her colleagues were a Mantrin and human and they seemed to have their hands full keeping Owynn in check, despite her illness.

“I’ve got her legs!” the Mantrin said, using his strong grip and muscular arms to keep her from injuring anyone as she seemed to resist their help.

“I’m going to sedate her.”

“No wait!” Moa said, tripping over her own legs as she got up like someone lit a fire under her bed. The sudden rush of adrenaline and the panic in Owynn's voice fueled her weakened muscles. Using her arms to catch herself from falling as her legs quaked like those of a newborn trying to stand, she rushed to Owynn’s side, squeezing herself past one of the doctors. “She wants to tell me something.”

“Moa, go back to bed,” the Indarian woman said with a kind yet firm voice, dampened by her mask. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying. Her fever is back, and the disease has reduced her lung function to less than thirty percent. She’s entered the last stage.”

“No Lorei, look!”

Owynn’s hand had found her arm and she held on to it with a firm grip. This seemed to calm her down, making the doctors back down on their decision to sedate her.

“Moa, there’s something… I need to tell you.”

She heard her take shallow gurgling breaths. Her lungs had started to fill up with fluid as the infection spread. She didn’t know where Owynn got the strength from, but she was a tough one all right.

“Help her up,” Lorei ordered, after which the human doctor raised Owynn’s bed so she could at least look Moa in the eyes.

Most of the color seemed to have drained from her face, sweat trickling down her neck and from the tip of her muzzle. Her large ears that tended to flop around drooped next to her head and she fought for every breath she took.

“Moa… Solbrecht is going to change… You have to… tell your friend. The handsome one with the blue eyes.”

“Salu.”

She nodded.

“Salu. There’s this… movement that’s gaining traction. They wanna return the planet… back to how it was before the colonization. Give it back… to the people it belongs to. Back to us.”

Covering her mouth with her hand, she coughed. Tiny droplets of red landed on the white sheets in front of her. The talking seemed to cost every last bit of whatever strength she had left.

“Owynn, we have to get you attached. We need to drain the fluid from your lungs,” Lorei urged.

“Wait…” she coughed. More blood. Moa watched it drip from her hand and stain the bedding. “Wait. A revolution… is coming. It’s gonna turn ugly. They’re prepared to go to great lengths… to get what they want.” She swallowed. “He needs to make sure… his family stays safe.”

“I will. I will tell him. H-How do you know all this?”

“I know this because… I used to support some of their ideas… until I saw what they were capable of. I--”

Another coughing fit came over her. When she started to wheeze, Lorei decided to interject. No longer willing to take any backtalk, she gave orders to apply the sedative. Feeling Owynn’s grip around her arm soften, she watched her drowse off into an artificial sleep. As the doctors hooked her up to a ventilator and IV lines, she stared at her body without moving a muscle, until Lorei rested her pawlike hand on her shoulder. Realizing the droplet that felt warm on her arm was one of her own tears she sniffled.

“I’m sorry, Moa.”

“We became friends,” she heard herself whimper. Every single one of the past few days she had reminded herself that there was a large chance that his moment would come, but that didn’t make it any easier. She had spent more time chatting with Owynn than with anyone else during her short career on the _Myr’shala_ , except for Salu. “Is there nothing you can do?”

“We’ll keep her stable for as long as possible,” Lorei promised, helping her back to her bed as her colleagues prepared to move Owynn to a more sterile environment for the procedure. “Moa, you have to prepare for the chance that she might not make it.”

Balling her hands to fists, as she sat back down on her own bed, a myriad of thoughts stormed through her mind, none of them involving a solution for the current predicament, which only increased her frustration.

***

That night she hardly slept at all and after a short period of collapsing due to fatigue she felt much worse than the night before at the end of the morning. The different stages of the disease did not last for an equal amount of time in all species or even individuals. Fearing she began to reach the end of her own grace period, she tapped her wristcom.

“Salu?” “Moa! Are you all right? I heard what happened to Owynn. I’m really sorry. We’re almost there. You gotta hold on.”

Every time she spoke with him, he seemed less and less capable of keeping the concern out of his voice. It pained her that he had to through all of this because of her. The last time she saw him, she noticed his eyes had some darker discoloration around them and he seemed a little flustered. He was no longer the calm, always in a good mood guy she loved to work with.

“Salu, I need to talk to you. Not in here. Visitors area. No mask. Just you.”

“You shouldn’t get out of bed. Ask someone to help you.”

“I’ll be fine. Meet me there, in a few millicycles.”


	7. Against Time

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

# Chapter 7 Against Time

It took Moa a while to reach the visitors area where patients could talk to their friends and relatives. A thin sheet of Duraglass eliminated the need for face-obstructing masks and an array of sensitive microphones allowed for two-way communication as if the barrier wasn’t even there. Still shivering under her white bathrobe, despite the otherwise comfortable temperature in the quarantine area, her quivering legs dragged her weakened body to the place where she wanted to be.

Fortunately, the cleaning- and maintenance bots went out of her way by themselves, for the speed at which her brain processed information had slowed to a crawl and her reaction time was several times higher than normal. Her head pounding with every step of her arduous journey of less than a hundred steps, she wiped her nose with a paper tissue she took with her as she left the ward. Although she felt her tail drag over the smooth floor, she didn’t have the strength to keep it up to prevent it.

She wanted to talk to Salu, but as she approached her goal, she began to wonder what she wanted to say to him. She figured it was more about wanting to see him, put his mind at ease, though she didn’t have a clue how to accomplish that in her current state. She was glad to find her side of the visitors area empty. The room was about the same size as the ward where she came from. The frameless sheet of curved Duraglass reached from floor to ceiling, forming the transparent barrier separating it from the Ring. There were a few seats of different types on both sides and a couple of standing tables.

Ignoring those, she only had eye for the one person standing behind the transparent wall. The look on his face that accompanied his lowered ears could be described as one of defeat and she made a mental note that the first thing she was going to make clear was that it wasn’t over yet. Salu’s arms dangled a bit and as she trudged toward the window with uneasy steps, they made a sudden move as if he wanted to catch her when she threatened to lose balance. It was as if they were both at a loss for words as they stared into each other’s eyes. She was the first to say something, even though it wasn’t much.

“Hey.”

***

There was one thing Salu could be proud of. He had made it to the top five percent of those working the most cycles in one of Hanaweya II’s days. Not that he cared about such things. Since Moa’s accident he noticed Ryt warned him more and more often that he needed rest and a good meal. She was right, although he wished he could comply.

He ate irregular portions at irregular times, sometimes realizing at the end of a day that he had skipped a meal. During work hours he used every bit of knowledge at his disposal to speed up their progress. During the night he continued to rack his brains, tossing and turning, fearing he might have overlooked something. Made mistakes somewhere. That until he collapsed from exhaustion and woke up early on the next day. His experience with these kinds of matters transcended two epidemics. People died under his watch because sometimes even with modern medicine there was nothing that could be done. But this time. This time it was different.

His hearts skipped a beat when his wristcom chimed and he saw that it was Moa. He had heard about her friend Owynn, who was taken to an intensive care unit with the symptoms of the final stages of the disease. She had a slim chance of recovery. They had already analyzed antibody samples of recovered patients which brought them even closer to a cure. But there was no telling beforehand which patients would make it through the final stage on their own.

Handing over his work to a colleague, he hurried toward the upper level, not wanting to admit to himself that desperation was getting to him. No one could tell how much time she had left. Leaning with his back against the chilly Duraglass of the elevator cabin, he felt his hearts beating against the inside of his chest, a warm feeling boiling inside, enough to moisten his armpits. For a tick he caught himself praying. Praying for more time. Praying that it wasn’t too late yet. He was convinced that they only needed another day or two. They had started an extensive testing process of what might be a cure for half the species affected by the disease, including his own. The vaccine would follow soon.

He arrived at the visitors area before she did. There was no one there, and it did not take long for her too arrive. He felt his breath caught in his throat when she looked much worse than the day before. Panting lightly, as she stood before him dressed in a white bathrobe, her hand holding a paper tissue, he didn’t know what to say.

Her pale sweaty skin had lost most of its color. Her long brown hair looked dirty and moist even though she told him she felt better after taking long hot showers which she did on a daily basis.

“Hey,” she said with a raspy voice, clearing her throat afterwards. Forcing herself to smile, she couldn’t really convince him, but she did her best. Leaning against the window to restore her balance, fogging up the glass surrounding her hand, she shook her head and chuckled. “I’m surprised I can’t crack this glass yet. My mouth stinks like something died in it. Might have something to do with that gross taste in my throat when I try to swallow.”

“You’re very sick, Moa,” Salu said. “You body’s doing all it can to fight it.” He watched as she massaged her forehead with thumb and index finger. Just talking to him appeared to put an incredible strain on her energy reserves. “Is there any particular reason why you wanted to talk to me?”

She smiled. A little sparkle appeared for a brief moment in her otherwise glazed eyes.

“No. No I… I guess I just wanted to see you,” she croaked, trying to suppress another cough. “Is it too soon to ask if you can get me out of this mess yet?”

“Moa, you mustn’t give up. I’m not giving up either. We’re running the final tests on what could be the cure for our species and several others. Same goes for the vaccine that will prevent reinfection.”

 _“Easy for me to say_ , _”_ he thought. _I’m not the one who’s fate is unknown if the results of the final test prove insufficient._

The cure would become a complex set of compounds that would attack the surface projections of the virus rendering it unable to infect new cells and become inert. The vaccine would then train the body’s immune system do to this by itself. The difficulty in this was the virus’ capability of rapid mutation and the number of different species affected by it. All with different biological systems that required a unique treatment.

“Do we finally have some clue on how it started?” Moa asked.

It somehow amused him that for someone in her position she still seemed to have a healthy taste for questions that were difficult to answer. Although their first and foremost priority was the development of compounds that would help save the lives of those affected, research had been done in that direction.

“The virus in its current form, disregarding the number of mutations it went through, was first discovered in the body of a member of our kind. We have traced it back to a shipment of food and supplies originating from Earth. However, the vessel that brought those supplies here did make a stopover at Solbrecht to pick up an additional load. What follows is a bit of speculation, but a likely scenario since we’re still dealing with a lot of unknowns.”

As he continued to look in Moa’s glassy eyes while talking, he wondered if she was interested in the outcome or merely liked listening to the sound of his voice. Keeping a dynamic tone as he told her about their findings, her tufted ears in their drooped down position did make subtle movements in response. He had to make do with that as her face had taken on the full task of displaying her discomfort.

“We believe that the virus might have been fairly harmless when it first entered the bodies of the first specimens. Sore throat. A cough and a sneeze. Runny nose. Nothing that anyone would run straight to the hospital for. But you know very well that all viruses mutate. Under the influence of Hanaweya’s developing biosphere it might very well have developed into what it is now.”

“Sounds plausible,” she said after a short delay.

The paper issue she clamped in her hand gave the impression that she was prepared for it, but the belching sound betrayed that it caught her off guard. Pressing the tissue to her mouth she groaned as the coughing made her stumble. So much, that she dropped to a knee on the floor, unable to keep her balance.

“Moa!”

“I-I’m okay,” she croaked.

Removing the tissue he saw the little red spots which she tried to hide by folding it.

“You should go back to bed. I’ll put on a mask. We’ll talk in there.”

“There you are!” Tiptoeing on her swift pawlike feet, Lorei appeared from the corridor on the right, rushing toward Moa’s side. She had promised him to pay a little extra attention to her and he had warned the Indarian woman for Moa’s stubbornness. It was a trait that all members of his kind had to some degree. Noticing him as she put a strong arm under Moa’s armpit as she tried to hoist her back on her feet, she snorted. “She didn’t tell me she was going to talk to you. Back to bed. You can’t be up like this.”

“No Lorei, please. There’s something I need to--” She coughed again, her muscles losing their strength once more. If Lorei hadn’t been the strong woman that she was, Moa would’ve dragged her with her to the floor. “Salu. Owynn, she--”

“I know. We’re doing everything we can,” he said, hearing his own voice scratch as he watched her struggle. With Lorei putting her back into it she heaved Moa back on her wobbling legs. Her patient continued to resist her pull as she wanted to drag her back to the ward. “Moa, don’t be stubborn now.”

“I am not! Listen to me!”

Her sudden anger seemed to give her a burst of strength Salu hadn’t seen in days. Realizing she was being unfair to the people who tried to help her, she apologized to Lorei, who released her and remained ready to catch her if she threatened to fall. _What could be so important that she had managed to tap into some kind of hidden energy reserve?_

Her eyes had lost their glassiness and even though she stood uneasy on her legs, the small part of her tail that she could keep off the floor moved with quick little flicks.

“There’s something you should know. Owynn spoke of a kind of revolution. First, I thought she was delirious, but she did call you and me by name.” Pausing to catch her breath in between she cleared her throat before continuing. “She said that Solbrecht’s going to change. She talked about a kind of movement that want to give the planet back to our people.”

“I know.” He knew what this was about. He knew this, because even though his visits to the world on which he grew up had become rare and infrequent, he did follow the news and this idea brewed among the population since a long time ago. Moa seemed a little surprised by his short and simple reply but wasn’t as convinced by his calm responses as usual. _What did Owynn say to her?_ “It’s been like this for a long time.”

“She said you need to make sure your family’s safe.”

He smiled.

“That’s very thoughtful of her. But Moa, it’s nothing to worry about right now. As you know, I’d like to call them the traditionalists, but they’ve been called many things. Conservatives is also a good term. They want things to return to how it was before Solbrecht’s colonization by other species. A simple life. Far away from concepts such as consumerism, money and greed. It’s why the practices of humans have become their prime target. It’s why their main opponents call them ‘extremists’ or ‘fanatics’ even.”

“But she said they are willing to go to great lengths to get what they want. Doesn’t that mean that things will turn violent?”

Her unwillingness to let go of the subject only signified her concern. But as he tried to figure out how to put her mind at ease, he watched her beginning to sway. Her legs wobbled. Her eyes blinked rapidly.

“I-I can’t--” she stammered.

Lorei shot toward her as Moa’s eyes fell shut, catching her in her strong furred arms. Salu watched as she dropped the paper tissue which was stained red.

“Moa!” he shouted.

Slamming his fist on the Duraglass, he felt the strong material vibrate under his violent outburst. A reaction that used to be so unlike him. During the past couple of days that had changed. Retrieving his mask from the pocket of his pants, he dashed toward the nearest airlock.

“Lorei to emergency standby! Visitors area! Now!”

***

She wasn’t quite sure what it was. She had wanted to ask before, but Azdar did not respond well to invasive questions. Because he never talked about the things that bothered him, even to her. She always had to drag everything out. Even trying to convince him that he would feel better afterwards did not really change his behavior in that regard.

Before they left Hanaweya II, Raeth had called him and Jirro to his ready room. He had become involved in a violent incident with colonists and she assumed he was about to be reprimanded. When he returned, he said things turned out ‘okay’. Not sure what he meant by that she didn’t inquire further, but it continued to bother her. He had been unusually quiet for the past couple of days. No anger outbursts. No ignoring her or any other members of the crew. It was a positive development, she had to admit that, but unlike him.

So once again Masai stood in front of their quarters, about to ask him if he wanted to share a meal with her in the mess hall. Touching the door controls, he managed to surprise her even more. The lights in their quarters were on at full brightness. Although he sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with his personal communicator, he looked up when she entered and even smiled.

“Hey,” he said.

She was glad that he was in such a good mood. This would make the conversation she had planned in her mind even easier.

“Hey,” she replied the same way, smiling back as she sat down on her own bed. “Azdar, can I ask you something?”

There was some hesitation. Enough for her to notice before he switched of the screen of the device in his hands and pocketed it. Scraping his metal foot over the floor as he shifted to an active listening position, he flicked an ear.

“Sure, what’s up?” he grunted.

“What… What happened when you were called to Raeth’s ready room after that incident on the colony?”

His first reaction was a sigh. Although she didn’t want to kill the mood before asking him to go and eat something with her, she had to know. Had he been looking straight into her eyes before, he now looked down at the floor between her feet. Although he did tell her his version of what happened between him, Jirro and a group of humans, he didn’t give her a single detail about what happened afterwards.

“I… I thought he was going to punish me for what happened. I did beat those humans up good.” The change in his tone of voice made her wonder if he was proud of what he did, or if he doubted the righteousness of his actions. She guessed it was something in between. The insults. The shock sticks. The experiences in his youth. He looked at her again and this time there was something else about him. “But he didn’t.”

 _Was that gratefulness in his voice?_ She was getting more curious with every passing tick.

“So what happened?”

“He did order me to tell him everything that happened when I was younger. I did. I told him the whole thing and he listened. Besides you, very few people did that. For a moment he gave me the feeling that he actually cared about what I've been through.”

“Why the doubt?” she asked, flattening an ear. “What makes you think he doesn’t care?”

“I-I dunno. I’m not really used to, you know, people caring.”

She knew what he meant. For the people who were supposed to help Azdar and his mother recover from those horrifying experiences, caring was a job. They pretended to care because they were supposed to. Although having a therapist to rant against helped to some degree, some individuals felt the need to share their experiences with another person without the job. Someone who understood what they had been through. Azdar seemed to be one of those.

“Doesn’t it make you feel better? Having talked about it with someone else?”

“Don’t know. I guess. He did order me to talk to Salu about it.”

She chuckled.

“I don’t expect you to change into a different person overnight, but the past few days you’ve been… happier. Less angry.” She noticed he wasn’t sure how to respond to her compliments, so he smiled faintly instead. “Wanna go eat something together? I heard Baika helped Trezka prepare something with the last of the fresh ingredients we picked up on Hanaweya II. Should be good.”

“Yeah, fine with me.”

“Raeth to all crew. We’re responding to a distress call from a freighter under attack by pirate raiders. Prepare for battle. We’ll reach them in ten millicycles.”

Masai hit her thigh with a fist.

“Darn, guess it can’t be helped. Stupid pirates.”

“We’ll kick ‘em first and then we’ll eat.”

Jumping to his feet, her friend sounded rather enthusiastic and it was infectious. Her hearts started to beat faster, and her hands itched to grab the triggers. She smiled back at his mischievous grin as she followed him into the corridor.

“We’ll teach ‘em not to interrupt mealtime.”

***

Having trouble remembering the last time he had a high fever himself, Salu made his way back to the main research lab. His thumping steps announced his approach to anyone near and the expression on his face as he ground his teeth made anyone think twice about asking him anything. He had a fever all right, but of a whole different kind.

Passing the lab, he entered the lounge next to it, glad that no one was there. This room was an upgrade from the breakrooms adjacent to some of the larger workspaces, with large organically shaped wooden tables and cushioned lounge chairs. Located along the outer wall of the tower it offered a panoramic outside view and with the small bar, appliances and stocked refrigerators, those looking for a longer break had the drinks and snacks to enjoy it with.

Salu wasn’t interested in all this. Driven by the bellowing wind, the flashes of rain beating against the windows discouraged anyone from breaking quarantine protocols by going outside. The wind and rain were a perfect illustration of how he felt at the moment. He couldn’t shake the image of Moa lying in that bed in a comatose state, with IV lines attached to her arm and tubing inserted into her airways. That girl had shown such enthusiasm when they first met in one of the officer’s lounges of the Imperial Guard headquarters in Ta’keth. So eager to explore the unknown and bring back a token of honor for her tribe. When the thought of having to take her body back to her family because of his failure to find cure in time crossed his mind, something snapped.

In a fit of feverish rage, he grabbed the edge of the nearest wooden table and without much effort hurled it into another with a mighty roar and the sound of a rockslide. Taking growling breaths, the veil of anger disappeared as he looked at the damage he had caused. The top of the victimized table had cracked and splintered in all directions and chairs had been tossed aside. In an instant his anger made place for shame, and the shocking realization that he had never let himself go like that before.

He could swear he could feel his cheeks and ears turn scarlet red when he heard the unmistakable sound of big shuffling feet behind him. Had she witnessed his outburst or was she alerted by the noise that would’ve been audible across the entire floor? When he turned around, he looked into Ryt’s big round eyes that had grown to the size of dinner plates. When he thought he couldn’t feel more shame than he already did she did a step back.

“Forgive me. I-I don’t know what got into me,” he stammered. The first time Ryt opened her beak-like mouth to say something she closed it after a few ticks without saying a word. “I used to have so much self-control. And that girl. That girl that is fighting for her life right now, took it all away. We’ve been working together for what, less than a lunar cycle? A couple of your work periods?”

Ryt still didn’t respond. She used to be good at calming people down. Relatives in distress over their ill loved ones. People worrying about whatever bothered them. He had seen evidence of that multiple times while working with her. In some way she used to be like his old self.

“Look at me,” he said, his voice barely below the volume of a shout. When he noticed the slight discoloration of Ryt’s gray skin around the center of her face, he scrambled together what little self-control he still had. “Look at me. Look at my hands.” Taking another small step toward her he stretched out his trembling fingers. “Can you imagine that these are the hands of a surgeon?”

Again Ryt responded with silence. He figured she thought it was perhaps better to let him rant for a while. Let out whatever he had cramped up over the past couple of days. Until she finally came up with a good response.

“Salu, it’s not your fault. You didn’t want this for her. You didn’t cause this whole mess that we’re in together.”

“Then why do I feel like this? Why can’t I shake the thought that if I hadn’t made the call to stay here this wouldn’t’ve happened?”

“You stayed here because you wanted to help. You’re a doctor. That’s what you do. And Moa knew that too. That’s why she agreed to stay with you without any complaints. I’m _very_ sure she doesn’t blame you for what happened.”

“It’s just… We’ve been working together for such a short time. But sometimes I feel like I’ve known her my whole life.”

“It’s because you feel responsible for her. Care for her. More than you know perhaps.”

Had Ryt’s voice sounded a little shaky in the beginning, it now had that warm undertone back. The small discolored patches on her face had disappeared as well.

“A-Are you saying that…?”

“No, it’s not like that. But you do love her, a little like a father loves his daughter, I think. Am I even a little right about that?”

He nodded.

“Yes. Y-You may be right.”

The edges of Ryt’s round beak-like snout curved upwards a little.

“Salu. You’re very upset. You don’t sleep. You don’t eat. You’re so focused on trying to take care of her that you forget to take care of yourself. By neglecting your own needs, you soon won’t be able to take care of anyone else’s.”

“I-I know. I just don’t what to do at the moment.”

“You need a hug.” Added the deed to her word, she stepped up to him and wrapped her chubby arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest. This simple act felt so strangely comforting that he had trouble swallowing because of the feeling that something was stuck in his throat. “I’m sorry,” she said when she released him after a short while. “I know your people have a certain aversion for physical contact. But you looked like you really needed it.”

He chuckled.

“Actually as a doctor I’ve gotten quite used to that.” He watched Ryt frown and her nostrils widen a little in response. “ _Uiisa_ if my breath smells. I think I forgot to brush this morning.”

She chuckled.

“It’s all right.”

Looking back at the damage he had caused to the room he apologized once more.

“I feel terrible about this.”

Ryt shrugged.

“Nothing that can’t be fixed. We’re used to these things happening now and then. There’re a quite a few Mantrins among our colonists.”

Salu frowned.

“Telling me it’s in my nature, doesn’t really help,” he said in an amused way. “If that’s what you’re suggesting.”

“I’m not suggesting anything,” Ryt laughed. “But it does happen now and then. No go brush your teeth. Cause you do smell.”

The first maintenance- and cleanup bots had arrived to assess the damage, surveying the room with their scanning beams. Among them were two larger humanoid models which would have no trouble with the larger pieces of damaged furniture. They were joined by a supervisor, an Orketh Mantrin wearing Tyche project blue.

“What happened here?” he asked, flattening an ear.

Tilting his head, trying to look past Ryt and Salu who in response made room for him and the machines to do their work, he shot them a questioning glance.

“It’s my fault,” Salu answered. “I lost my temper.”

The other Mantrin shook his head.

“You guys are working too hard. But it’s for a good cause, I know. We’ll clean this up. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll go freshen up,” Salu said when he and Ryt were about to go their separate ways. “I’ll see you in the lab in a few millicycles.”

Walking backwards, he had turned halfway when Ryt stopped him dead in his tracks. Her kind voice still had that worried undertone.

“You do need rest, Salu. We’ll take care of her. If those tests turn out positive, she’ll be among the first to receive the cure.”

“I-I’ll be fine. I can’t sleep. That’s my real problem.”

“If you need something to help you sleep, I can arrange it.”

Although he was against the practice of taking medicine to remedy sleep disorders, no matter the cause, there were a couple of natural treatments to lower stress levels to help one sleep better. And if there was one thing he had in abundance these days it was stress hormones. Ryt took advantage of his hesitation and pointed in the direction he was about to head to.

“Go to your room,” she said in a quasi-stern way. “I’ll be with you in a tick.”

***

Ryt’s cocktail of different herbs from a variety of worlds not only took away his skepticism, it also took away all of his ability to stay awake. It was not that he wasn’t tired. It was his hyperactive brain and his thoughts going in all directions when it was time to rest that lead to insomnia. The herbal solution lowered stress hormones to a level much lower than it had been in days. With the windows of the sleeping quarters dimmed to near complete darkness, he felt his body collapse due to sheer exhaustion within millicycles of Ryt leaving the room. Knowing Moa was in good hands, he allowed himself to surrender.

Only to jerk awake much later from an unpleasant dream that involved her. With the room shrouded in darkness he continued to stare at the ceiling while taking a couple of deep breaths to regain full consciousness. “Moa,” he heard himself say. He wanted to get up, but his arms and legs still felt like they had weights attached to them. Throwing the blankets to the side, he closed his eyes for a moment while enjoying the coolness of the surrounding air on his exposed skin. Dreams that involved losing her had plagued him over the past couple of nights, but after asking Cassandra what time it was, he realized he had slept for much longer then all those other times.

With the image of Moa lying in that hospital bed with a mask obscuring her face still fresh in his mind he forced himself to get up. He hadn’t even bothered to fully dress for the occasion, having slept bare-chested with his work pants on. Grabbing the white tunic, which was draped over one of the two seats, the thought of recycling his clothes and synthesizing a fresh set came to mind. That mind in question still worked at a slower than optimal speed and in an attempt to remedy this, he trudged to the small bathroom to splash some water into his face.

Finding a towel by touch he looked into the mirror, dabbing his face dry with the towel while studying the lines, darker spots and other minor imperfections of his skin. The more prominent ones of these such as the darker shading around his eyes and the slight swelling under them had been added only recently.

“Get yourself together,” he whispered sharply to himself.

***

The main science lab was running in nightshift mode. The diffuse overhead lights were dimmed to a lower level and there were fewer researchers present. Among them was Ekli. She stood with Samesh next to one of the large analysis stations, its enormous holographic display showing numerous graphs and readouts of the different tests they had been running on the cure and vaccine candidates. Both pointing at different areas of the screen they seemed involved in a discussion which he didn’t want to disturb, but when they saw him, Samesh and Ekli both smiled.

“Hey Salu. Did you sleep well?” Samesh asked.

Leaving their discussion for what it was, they both turned toward him.

“Yes, I did. Any progress?”

Ekli nodded.

“We have made some more modifications that should improve the effectiveness of both solutions.” The Qu’utian woman pointed at two bars that were both filled to about three-quarters of their total length. The estimated time to finish was projected at less than four cycles. “If those results turn out positive, we’ll be granted a powerful weapon against this virus.”

“And then we can start treating patients immediately,” Samesh added.

“I eh. I’m going to check up on Moa. All we can do now is wait, right?”

“If it’ll make you feel better, you should do that,” Ekli replied. “Your presence might have a positive effect on her.”

***

Although visitors weren’t allowed in the intensive care wards, since he was a doctor and the closest thing Moa had to a relative, they let him in without so much as asking. Occupying the left bed, she shared the unit with two other patients, one of them being Owynn, the other an Akrennian man. These beds were similar to those aboard the _Myr’shala_ , with full body monitoring and an array of equipment that could recognize and adapt to any known physiology for specialized care.

When he entered, he had difficulty swallowing when he saw her like this. Someone so young. So eager to accept any challenge that came her way. Reduced to not even being able to breathe on her own. Taking a seat next to her bed, he watched her motionless body in its deceptively peaceful state, her chest rising up and down ever so slightly in response to the ventilator’s respiration cycle. Hoping she could feel his presence he took extra care when he picked up her clawed hand and held it into his. She still felt warm. Very warm in fact.

The large window behind the beds blocked part of the light of Hanaweya’s night sky, a couple of larger cloud formations forming a natural cover against the moons and stars. It was still enough for him to see her without turning up the lights. His gaze shifting from outside back to Moa, he had cobbled up a few words while he listened to the soft sounds made by the equipment.

“You gotta hold on girl. We’re almost there. Just a little longer.” He could swear he saw a tiny flick of her ear when the calm sound of his voice cut through the silence in the room like a razor. He felt the very slight squeeze of her hand around his as he held on to it. Or was it just his imagination? “Don’t do this to me. Promise me, okay?”

He didn’t know for how long he sat like this, even though his mask started to feel a little uncomfortable after a while. The doctor on watch did not disturb him, and at some point he began to experience short moments of drifting off.

“Start with five cc’s! She’s becoming unstable.”

The shouting of doctors. A hand on his shoulder shaking him awake. It wasn’t a nightmare. The lights in the room were on and someone was trying to move him out of the way. In a flash he was wide awake. His hearts pounded as he watched people swarm around Moa’s bed assisted by a hovering robot handing out tools. Had his mind been slow to react from the moment he got out of bed, it now worked at emergency speeds. Jumping out of the way and shoving the chair into a corner with a bang, he dashed out of the room.

 _“One chance,”_ was his prime thought.

The airlock decon process took less than two millicycles. Now it felt like an eternity.

“C’mon, c’mon!” he grunted, watching the countdown timer on the display while surrounded by a thin haze of virus neutralizing particles.

Instead of taking the elevator he raced down the alternative route of stairs as fast as his long legs could carry him. Entering the lab in a frenzy, his feet slipping to a halt on the composite flooring as his claws tried to get a grip, he dove into the nearest storage room to get a clean injector. With it, he made his way to one of the testing chambers with the cure still in the final testing phase. The few people present looked up when he opened it, an acoustic alarm warning him that the procedure wasn’t finished. He didn’t care. She didn’t have time to wait any longer.

Grabbing two of the auto-sealing tubes from a rack of a few dozen to be sure, he slit one of them into the injector, pocketed it and the other tube and closed the chamber which resumed its progress. He was about to ran out when he heard Ryt’s voice near. The Vusstran woman approached him with a look of distress on her face.

“Salu? What’re you doing?”

“It’s Moa, she won’t make it if I don’t do this right now.”

“We’re still testing. We don’t know for sure what that will do to her. She could die.”

“She’ll die anyway without it!” he yelled, watching Ryt recoil. “She’s got one chance.”

“Salu wait! Wait!”


	8. Strength and Persistence

**Imperial Guard – 002 Inner Demons**

# Chapter 8 Strength and Persistence

“Outta my way!”

He never meant to be rude. Running into someone, given his speed and size was the uglier alternative. To prevent an accident, Salu warned people ahead of his coming while racing back to the IC. The broad corridors offered some room for evasive moves and with time fleeting it was an appreciated luxury. Slipping to a halt in front of one of the Ring’s airlocks, knowing every tick counted, the safety mechanisms of the airtight system now worked against him. The access panel still had to deal with his abuse even though entering took a lot less time than going out. He felt like his hearts were trying to exit his body through his throat. Gasping for breath and with sweat starting to soak his clothes he entered the room where the team of three doctors and the medical bot fought for control over Moa’s life.

“We got the fluid out of her lungs, but she’s not stabilizing.”

The human doctor kept his eye on the monitors while extracting a tube from Moa’s mouth with at the end a large amount of needle-thin, highly flexible tendrils that moved like they were alive. It looked horrifying but Salu knew that this device was capable of draining access fluid from the airways without damaging the delicate tissues that formed the respiratory system of most species. With the tube retracting back into the machine he reapplied the ventilator’s tubing and mask to keep the oxygen flowing through her lungs.

“Left heart rate is erratic,” the Mantrin doctor who seemed to be in charge stated. “Another five cc’s of Tytrazine.”

The medical bot responded within the blink of an eye, filling up an injector with a long thin needle and inserting it into Moa’s exposed chest above her left heart with pinpoint precision. Every part of the treatment could be followed on the monitors and through holographic overlays down to the smallest detail. A flesh-and-blood doctor always had final say, but the medical bots and sophisticated equipment could analyze, suggest and react at unfathomable speeds. In the few ticks Salu needed to assess the situation, they had performed three different complex actions.

With the injection not having the desired effect and Moa’s muscles tensing, the monitor alerted the team for a drop in heart rate.

“Prepare for cardiac stimulation, or we’ll lose her!” the Mantrin woman barked.

This was Salu’s moment to speak up. With the virus continuing to ravage her body, trying to keep her alive was no longer enough. In his opinion there was only one thing left to do.

“We’ve got a cure!” he yelled, having their immediate attention.

If they hadn’t been wearing masks he would’ve been able to see the disbelief on their faces. The glimpse of a frown here and there lasted for less than two ticks.

“Then what’re you waiting for?” the woman mirroring his own appearance grunted.

At that moment his own hesitation took over as Ryt’s words stuck into the back of his mind. He had managed to sound very convincing, without any uncertainty, even though the first step he took toward the bed trembled with it.

 _“She could die,”_ he heard her say. Keeping an eye on the monitors, he watched Moa’s heart rate stabilize as the team’s Vusstran doctor had applied a double cardiac stimulator which began to emit frequent pulses. It was impossible to estimate how long she would last. There was no more time for doubt. _I beg of you Kirliya the Enlightened. Please save this young woman’s life._

With the subdermal injector in his hand, and the team of doctors watching his every move, he stretched out his arm. When he touched the contact points of the injector to the pale, sweaty skin of her neck, she took a stuttering breath as if she knew what was about to happen. Pressing the button on the injector, he watched the fluid drain from the vial.

Still praying that this was indeed the cure, and that she would react well to it, he continued to feverishly watch the monitors as if they could tell him directly if she would live. Stepping back to allow the doctors to react immediately if something went wrong, millicycles passed as they kept a close eye on her vital signs. Until the lead doctor finally seemed convinced that things were back under control.

“She seems stable for now,” she said as she turned to Salu, who couldn’t tear his look from Moa’s weak body. “That cure will have to do its work.”

He nodded.

“It could take a while before we know how she responds to it. I-I’ll stay here with her if you don’t mind.”

“Not a problem. Are you family?”

“No, but I’m the closest thing she has right now. I don’t want her to be alone like this.”

“All right. Stay strong. If this is the cure, can we start treating the other patients right away?”

“Yes. Yes, my colleagues will be here soon.”

She briefly put her hand on his shoulder as she left the room with the rest of her team. Thanking them for wishing Moa a good recovery they left him alone with her, Owynn and the Akrennian man. Cursing the fact that he had to use her as a test subject like this, he continued to pray that it was not a mistake.

Although he felt he could return to bed and continue to sleep for another day or even longer, he continued to sit next to hers, paying scrupulous attention to the readings on the monitors. Fearing he would suffer a heart attack within the next cycle if this kept up, Ryt’s call would’ve been a good trigger. His voice distorted by his dry throat as he tried to speak to her when he answered his wristcom, he awaited the conclusion with closed eyes.

“Ryt, please tell me it’s okay.”

“Salu, it’s fine. The cure’s been tested positive in over ninety-nine percent of the test cases and the vaccine should be over ninety-seven percent effective for the first dose. We’ll begin treatment immediately. How is she?” Gasping for air, which was a little impeded by his mask, he forgot to answer. The relief that spread through his body was like a cure for the constant tension he had felt from the moment he woke up. He began to feel the soreness in his relaxing muscles which had been strained the whole time up till now. For a few ticks he felt as if his mind drifted away from all this as the end of the situation was finally in sight. “Salu, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Ryt,” he answered. “And Moa’s stable. I’m just relieved. I… I gave her the cure, because it looked like she wasn’t going to make it.”

Ryt didn’t respond right away. He had taken a big risk. The modifications they had made to the cure could’ve had adverse effects.

“I understand. It was your call, and it seems you’ve made the right one.”

“Let’s… leave it at that.”

“I’ll see you in a few millicycles. Will you help us?”

“Of course.”

***

After successfully developing a cure and a vaccine for a large number of the species affected, the next few days consisted not only of further development to make them both compatible with all species, but the treatment of all colonists, starting with the patients. This was easier said than done.

The racial conflict continued to be an issue in that they needed the consent of patients and their relatives before they could give them the cure, even if they were terminally ill. Both solutions had been developed using compounds derived from the microbiomes of different species to increase their effectiveness. Although outraged that he had watched a man die, because he refused a cure that could save his life, Salu knew there was nothing that could be done about this. It appeared that hatred, for many different reasons, sometimes ran deep.

Fortunately, Moa’s solution of trying to convince people to put their differences aside for once in their lives prevented more unnecessary loss. While she and many others walked the road of recovery, the racial conflict began to subside as the danger of infection passed. It was on the second day after she received the cure, that Salu received word that she was awake and conscious.

***

Moa woke up with the feeling that she had already been buried and dug up again. She didn’t even know how long she had hovered along the astral plane. She could only remember shreds of strange dreams that involved family and friends in situations that were either twisted memories or complete figments created by her subconscious mind. Others were downright nightmares, with death being a recurring theme. The one that stuck in particular featured being chased by shadows that sometimes took the shape of people which she couldn’t get away from. The real world therefore felt unreal during the first millicycles of rebooting her mind and adjusting to her senses.

Sore muscles without a drop of strength. Eyes that had trouble focusing. Dry mouth. Stomach pain. The list kept growing the more she became aware of the fact that she was still alive somehow. But the appearance of Salu, although it took her a few ticks to identify the brown and white blur as her friend and colleague, brought that one feeling to the top. The feeling of joy.

“Look who’s awake,” he said, his voice coated with the same emotion.

Blinking to improve her focus, she could finally make out his face. He smiled. His blue eyes twinkled.

“S-So glad to see you.”

“You tell me. You had me worried sick. I was about to yank my ears off.”

“You’re not wearing a mask.”

“I’ve been inoculated. My body’s already producing antibodies.”

Even though Salu spoke on his usual calm tone, it took her more time to fully comprehend what he was saying. Slow and weak seemed to define everything about her right now, which was understandable given what she had been through, as Salu told her. Since her condition was no longer life-threatening, they had moved her back to the ward where other patients were also recovering.

“I’m thirsty,” she said, not realizing she sounded like a moody little girl with a sore throat.

“We can get you anything you want,” Salu chuckled.

Like the first time she had been out for a while, although that was nothing compared to this, some food and drink did her good. Small amounts, to give her stomach time to adjust to semi-solid foods. It also helped her to again adjust to common things like flavor, smell and being able to do things without assistance. She didn’t have much in the way of strength, but with some effort she regained muscle control while she ate.

“You know,” she began. Chewing slowly on the contents of the same fruit bowl she also had when she ended up in a hospital bed, she looked at Salu. “About what you said earlier. About the inequality between men and women in my tribe. I’ve given it some thought.”

She watched him flatten an ear as he frowned.

“You wanna talk about this now?”

“Yeah, why not? I had lots of time to think before I went out. Owynn was a great talker.” She paused, hit by the sudden realization that the condition of the woman she became friends with had become life-threatening the day before she collapsed in front of Salu. “Where is she?” she gasped. “Did she make it?”

Salu nodded, much to her relief.

“She’s fine. There were a couple of tense moments during her coma, even after she received the cure. But she’s recovering now. I just came back from checking up on her.”

Heaving a sigh of relief, she was struck by a moment of lightheadedness. Closing her eyes she leaned back against her pillow.

“Careful. The next few days you’ll find it easy to overexert yourself.”

“So this is what it feels like to be as old as Iyurah.” Opening one eye, the need to explain herself became obvious when she saw the look on Salu’s face. “The former shaman of my tribe. All she does now is sleep and eat, but before that she was a great healer. I learned a lot from her when I was younger.”

“Hmm, sounds like you’ve been taught by someone wise.”

She nodded, having lost the feeling of dizziness.

“Now about that equality matter. I think you’re right. But we split our tasks mostly based on physical strength, not so much by being a man or a woman. The hunt requires being skilled in handling a variety of weapons, most of them heavy. More often than not, it involves chasing prey. I wouldn’t mind if a man can show that he’s up for it, but our women do have the advantage here. Also, I don’t think I’ll be able to change our rules about this, though I’d love to give my little _khomii_ a shot at it when he’s old enough.”

Salu smiled.

“I like your reasoning. Your people seem to have divided tasks based on efficiency. And if everyone’s happy with the way things are, I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

While she looked at him, she saw another figure approach. Her eyes were still a little slow to focus on details, but she hadn’t seen Imperial Guard red in a while so it could only mean one thing.

“Hey girl. How’re you doing?”

Her _Ginjha_ smiled. Or at least she thought he did, judging by his slightly squinted eyes, because he did wear a mask. Having received the vaccine, his immune system needed some time to build up resistance, even though that didn’t take long in their species’ case. He assumed a position at the foot of her bed, taking up a lot of room with a height and width that surpassed Salu’s.

“Raeth!” she cried out in surprise. “You’re back.”

Raeth laughed.

“We came back as soon as we heard the news of a cure. Don’t worry, I’m not here to collect you yet. You just focus on getting better. There’s always enough to do here, so I think we can afford to stick around for a few days.”

“I’ll do my best. I can always sleep in my quarters if something comes up.”

“We’d like to keep you under observation for a few more days,” Salu said. “Some patients experience small relapses, alternating between feeling better and feeling worse after periods of sleep. Nothing serious, but we’re not taking risks.”

“My idea,” Raeth added. “I do have a few other crewmembers who really wanna see you. Are you up for that, or shall we let ‘m wait for a day?”

She still felt like she could sleep for a couple of days straight, despite her artificial coma, but if they had been that worried about her, it wouldn’t be fair to let them wait much longer. After saying goodbye to Raeth and Salu, they let in four members of the crew, all wearing masks. The first of them to reach her bed was Nami.

“Moa!” Bowing through her knees on the left side of her bed to bring her height down to her level, she threw her long black braid back and flicked an ear. The two other women were Jetreycka and Freya, who divided themselves over the remaining space. A bit surprising, the fourth crewmember was Norgu. With so many Mantrins around her bed it began to feel a little constricted and in order not to disturb the other patients too much they tried to keep their voice down. “We were so worried about you! I’m so glad to see you’re doing okay.”

“Feeling better, girl?” Jetreycka asked.

“Yeah. Really tired, but I’m happy to see you all.”

“It was bizarre,” Freya exclaimed. “You and Salu staying to help. And then you end up in the hospital yourself because of people acting stupid.”

“Well, they sure learned their lesson. I heard they’ll be working double shifts for a while. They’ve considered eviction for the guy who was in possession of that shock grenade.”

“Eviction?” Nami asked, flattening an ear.

“It’s the worst punishment they’ve got. It means they’ll send you back to where you came from to be tried for your crime. They don’t have a real prison around here, only a couple of holding cells.”

At that point Norgu stepped in, which was a bit of a squeeze because of his Logri stature. She wondered what brought him here, aside from being worried too. He seemed eager to answer that question as he was about to reveal whatever he kept hidden behind his back. His deep bassy voice sounded kind as usual.

“Moa, I made this for you.” In the palms of his enormous hands, he presented her with a necklace of the same type he wore around his neck. A necklace with the tooth of a large predator flanked by several wooden beads hanging from it. “The Na’ganthur’s tooth. Whenever a member of my tribe is unwillingly faced with a life-threatening situation and finds the strength and persistence to pull through, they are presented with this token of honor.”

She was speechless for a moment. To receive such a powerful token, deeply rooted into a subculture other than one’s own, was a great honor indeed. She swallowed. In silence, she picked up the necklace, feeling the considerable weight of the tooth as she lifted it from his hands.

The ends of the string were fitted with a rotational locking mechanism, so she didn’t even have to fiddle with her long hair when she put it on. Studying the ivory tooth for a moment, she ran her finger over the intricate natural engravings into its surface which were like the animal’s fingerprints. Wiping away a tear that escaped her eye, she looked up into Norgu’s large brown eyes that twinkled behind the face shield of his mask.

“ _Hyami_. I-I don’t know what to say.”

Norgu hummed in response, bowing his head in a slight gesture. Finishing her food in the meantime, they continued chatting until she felt too tired to continue. Needless to say, her friends respected her wishes. Although she wished she could enjoy Hanaweya II for real for a change, she didn’t have the strength yet. Promising she’d get well soon, hoping for dreams that were less unpleasant, she gave in to her weariness.

***

Taking a route they had taken before, Raeth and Jirro made their way to the administrative section of the Eden tower. The situation still had to be formally marked as resolved. Most colonists had received either the cure or the vaccine and even the inoculation of pets was under consideration. With the presence of the virus in the air being closely monitored and concentrations dropping as it could no longer find suitable hosts for replication, they were close to ending the crisis.

When they arrived at the same management office as last time, they did not find An’dryn, but one of his colleagues instead. The human woman had straight red hair down to her shoulders. Tiny brown spots dotted her white skin, concentrating around her nose and the center of her cheeks. Her outfit was the same Tyche project blue, its suit-like appearance a mere expression of personal preference. She occupied the same desk and gave them a warm welcome but apologized for his absence.

“It’s his day off. I you really need him I can call for him. I’m Arlene.”

“I’m Raeth.”

“Jirro,” his _Kaedar_ added with a nod.

“No, that’s all right. I guess I’ll see him around. One of my crew is still recovering in your hospital. You won’t mind us staying for a few more days?”

“Of course not,” she replied, exposing two rows of pearly whites. Bringing up a holographic projection with statistics with a few taps on the virtual keyboard on her desk, she gestured it to the proper angle for them to see. “It’s good of you to wear masks,” she said while studying the numbers. “It’s a powerful vaccine so you can lose them after less than two days after inoculation. Make sure to have your blood checked after about twenty cycles.”

“ _Hyami_ , we know.”

“Everyone’s received it. Concentration of virus particles is dropping by the cycle. If it’s still like this by tomorrow, I’ll inform the project leaders that the situation is under control.” She sighed. “Seventy-three lives lost. If people would just follow the rules…” She shook her head. “Can’t be helped. At least it’s come to an end.”

“Is there anything immediate that you need help with?” Raeth asked.

Arlene shrugged.

“Ask around.”

***

In the next few days Moa did everything she could to speed up her recovery. Her appetite returned, her fatigue lessened and Salu praised her for every extra millicycle of exercise to regain her muscular strength. What she enjoyed most though were the short walks around the Ring while they talked. She was able to walk for longer and longer periods without feeling like her legs would give out if she took another step.

“You’re eager today,” Salu remarked as he walked with her on another round, surprised by her display of strength.

If she tried to deceive him somehow, he had to admit she would succeed if she kept up her current pace. Her long plumed tail behaved like a whip once more, lashing from side to side and her feet with its split, hoof-like appearance made that characteristic clopping sound.

“I’m bored,” she said, looking over her shoulder as he caught up with her. It’s time to get out of here. I wanna do something.”

“Is that why you’re wearing your uniform?”

“I’m tired of wearing that gown. I’m not sick anymore.”

“You’re doing great, Moa. If you really feel that strongly about it, we can start saying goodbye. I’ll tell Raeth we’ll be ready to leave by tomorrow.”

“Isn’t that Mrs. Huang?”

Slowing her pace as they reached one of the Ring’s airlocks, she was fairly positive that the small woman with the black hair was the mother that was scared out of her wits that she would never see her daughter again. Therefore, Moa experienced a slight relief when a little girl guided out of the quarantine area by two doctors ran into her mother’s arms. Comforted by her husband, Lihua cried as she held on to her daughter.

Although Moa and Salu held in to give her some room out of respect, Lihua turned toward them when she noticed them standing there. After thanking the doctors she put her daughter down and walked up to them. All of a sudden, Moa realized this was the exact same spot where they had met before. This time however, the tears on Lihua’s face were of happiness.

“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done. You worked on the cure, right?”

“You’re very welcome, Lihua,” Salu said with his warmest voice. “I’m glad to see your daughter’s healthy again.”

The little girl with her black hair in a ponytail, her face a picture of joy, didn’t seem scared in the least by the large creatures in front of her. In fact, she walked up to Moa, unable to contain her curiosity. As Lihua walked up to Salu for a hug, her daughter tried to do the same to Moa, which didn’t really work because of the size difference. Clearly used to moments like this, Salu gave Lihua’s back a gentle rub, then chuckled when he noticed his companion was struggling with the idea.

“Just let it happen, Moa. Trust me. It’s not so bad.”

After some hesitation, she decided to make use of her regained strength. Picking up the little girl around her middle she lifted her into her arms, a little surprised at how easy it was, after a period of barely being able to lift a bowl of soup to her mouth.

“Hey sweety,” she cooed. “I’m Moa. What’s your name?”

“Meiling,” the girl laughed.

Meiling rubbing her head to her chest did the unexpected. A warm feeling spread out from the center of her body to the very tip of her tail. In her arms she held another very young survivor of a crisis that held them in a merciless grip for too long. She was as strong and persistent as she was.

In the meantime Meiling had found the tooth of Norgu’s necklace, being just as mesmerized by its engraved surface as she was. Her father watched his wife and healthy daughter from a slight distance, a smile on his face.

“It’s pretty isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” the girl said, continuing to hug her back.

After saying goodbye to the Huang family, Moa protested against Salu’s suggestion of going back. She was tired, but she longed for a breath of fresh Hanaweya air. She hadn’t felt the outside world for a long time and even though it was the early evening, the outside temperature was still way in the comfortable zone of a walk.

“I wanna go outside. The only thing I’m being sick off is being locked in here.”

Salu shrugged.

“Your call. If you’re up for it, we can go for a walk.”

The lobby downstairs bustled with activity. Next to the hospital levels, the Avalon tower was still home to a large number of colonists. Through the transparent walls she spotted the last few rays of Hanaweya’s sun in a clear sky which people seemed very eager to see for some reason.

“Why does everyone have the same idea all of a sudden?” she grunted, trying her best to avoid bumping people aside.

She didn’t get an answer from Salu, who didn’t seem to have clue either. They had almost made it to the entrance when she heard a familiar voice calling her name from behind.

“Owynn!”

The Sogowan Mantrinesse sped toward them, her face gleaming when she smiled. Moa didn’t know if her friend panted because she was still tired or because of relief, but she guessed it was a little bit of both.

“May I?” Owynn asked, spreading her arms.

“Of course.” Feeling very eager for another hug after Meiling, she embraced her friend. Owynn had a healthy, flowery scent about her, with a touch of earthiness and she looked good in her Tyche project T-shirt and legging. “So good to see you.”

“Likewise, girl. Likewise.” Releasing each other, she looked at Salu. “Hey handsome,” she said with a purr.

Salu’s cheeks and ears developed a touch of red in response.

“Glad to see you up and running again.”

“Owynn, where’s everyone going to?” Moa asked, flattening an ear.

“Haven’t you heard? We’re expecting--” Cutting off her sentence, she suddenly put on a mysterious grin. “Oh, you’re gonna be in for a surprise. Sun’s almost gone. It’s about to start. C’mon, so we can get a good view.”

***

The _Myr’shala_ ’s return to Hanaweya II presented people with renewed opportunities. One in particular was for Tyru to keep his promise to Majih and Jacky. The restaurant in which they shared a table offered a selection of cuisines from different worlds blended with Hanaweya II’s own specialties for a unique experience. The food was excellent and the atmosphere almost euphoric. In the past couple of days, funeral ceremonies had been held for those who lost their lives. The quarantine measures had been lifted. The fear of infection had passed. Resilient as they were, people picked up their ordinary lives as colonists again.

Tyru had brought his mate Naya and Eylii, his daughter of twelve to the table. Majih remembered him saying his mate was very much like Binjeh and he had been right about that. Naya was a skilled xenobotanist with a love for everything green. She was one of the leaders in the agricultural department and responsible for a fresh and steady food supply. In a way, she tended a vegetable garden too, only on a much bigger scale.

“Binjeh really sounds like someone I’d love to meet,” Naya said, finishing the last bits of her dessert.

Majih smiled, recalling the memory of Binjeh’s sweet face. That wonderful smell of soil that hung around her when she had been busy in her garden. The little arguments they sometimes had about silly things that always ended in laughter.

“Yeah, she’s really something,” he said with a dreamy stare in his eyes.

“You’re _so_ in love with her,” Jacky laughed, giving his shoulder a playful push, shaking him out of his trance.

“Look _Hahme_ , something’s happening outside,” Eylii said.

With the restaurant on the first floor of the tower and their table next to the window they had a good overview of the recreational area where many colonists had gathered under the twilight sky. The lights in the restaurant added to the coziness of the atmosphere and the low level of illumination allowed them to see the stars through a background of orange and pink that began to fade which each passing millicycle.

The young Goureg girl turned around. Kneeling on her floor pillow she leaned closer to the window until she almost touched it with the tip of her beak, her breath condensing against the Duraglass. She now had the full attention of the adults.

“What’re all these people looking at?” Jacky asked, trying to catch a glimpse herself.

“The light waves!” Tyru exclaimed. “You gotta see this. Everyone’s finished right?”

After a quick check of the plates, they came to the conclusion that everyone had indeed finished eating. Tyru seemed in a hurry all of a sudden and his daughter became very excited at hearing the term ‘light waves.’ Not sure what that meant, but trusting him on his word, Majih and Jacky decided to follow him down, only to receive a communiqué from Raeth along the way.

“Raeth to all crew. If you’re not outside already, you should come down. You’re about to miss something beautiful.”

***

**Moon by Yoko Kanno: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaAVuyp1yiM**

Not entirely sure what to expect, Raeth used the locator on his wristcom to track down An’dryn who supplied him with the tip. The _Myr’shala_ was scheduled to leave early in the morning for a new assignment so their leisure days on Hanaweya II were over. Not that they had been sitting around doing nothing, but it was as close to shore leave as it could get.

Like many of the colonists, the Indarian had decided to enjoy the warm evening breeze and clear sky together with his mate, his son and two daughters. The foxlike creatures played a kind of hide-and-seek between the groups of people, frolicking around with other kids while their parents’ faces were directed at the sky. The air was filled with talk and laughter. The slight nod in his direction and his mate looking, told Raeth that An’dryn had seen him.

“Raeth, good to see you again.”

After introducing himself to An’dryn’s mate, he asked him for an explanation for the bustle of activity around them.

“If you haven’t taken a close look at the sky yet, give it another try. Look closer.”

Darkness was falling fast. In what little time he needed to cover the distance from one of the towers to An’dryn’s position, it had become noticeably darker. Through squinted eyes, he tried to spot what the Indarian hinted at. And then he saw it. A faint band of light that seemed to slither through the sky. And when he looked closer, he could see more of them. Which each moment passing they became more and more visible. As darkness took over, the bands became curtains, the effect becoming more and more intense.

“Raeth!”

He didn’t have to look over his shoulder to identify the owner of the voice. Moa joined his side together with Salu and a Sogowan Mantrinesse in Tyche project blue.

“You look ready to go,” he remarked when he saw the red uniform.

“Yes, sir!” she said, taking a moment to catch her breath.

“Look who’s back.”

The corner of Jirro’s beak curved up just a little when he joined their group and made eye contact with Moa. It disappeared to make room for his usual unfazed expression, although he did study the sky with them. In the meantime An’dryn’s children had joined their parents’ side to watch the event with them. A few moments later, Ryt, Samesh and Ekli joined them with their own families.

“Wait for it,” An’dryn said, dragging out the moment. Raeth could hear people collectively holding their breath. The night sky was already spectacular as it was. “Now!”

The effect intensified. Waves of light moved through the curtains like ripples in a pond, enhancing their brightness and vibrant colors with each one. The aurora sparked different reactions among the colonists. Many people cried out in awe at the phenomenon. Some watched in silence, holding hands with friends and family as the waves lit up their faces. Others fell on their knees in prayer.

“It’s so beautiful,” Moa spoke for everyone.

“Project Tyche triggered another great migration to the stars,” An’dryn said. “It is thanks to that, that we are able to experience the wonders of worlds like this.”

“And fortunately, you can continue to do so,” Raeth added.

An’dryn nodded.

“Yes. Before the cure we were considering the possibility of evacuation. The racial issues will prove difficult to resolve. They’re like a disease that cannot be cured through conventional means. But that is something we can work on now that things are returning to normal.” The Indarian took a breath. “Have you ever been to Indar Prime?”

Indar Prime. A binary star system and the location of the home world of the Indarian people. The Imperial Guard’s missions did not often take crews to the heart of another empire, and if it did it was often for very special reasons.

“Just once,” Raeth answered. “You come from a beautiful world.”

An’dryn hummed in approval.

“The sons of Indarios like to light up the sky at night as well. This reminds me of home. It’s usually quite common here, but it’s been a while ago. This a good sign.”

“Do you believe?”

The Indarian smiled.

“Sometimes, believing is enough.”

***

_The adventures of Raeth and the crew of the Myr’shala will continue in episode 3:_

_“The Infinite Depths of Space”_


End file.
